OpenAI pushes national AI education strategies as London forum closes
Education World Forum 2026 wrapped in London after bringing together the highest number of education ministers in the event's history to discuss AI adoption, reform, and skills development.
George Osborne, Head of OpenAI for Countries, used the gathering to outline how governments can approach AI for Education. His message was direct: students and teachers are already using AI. The job for policymakers is to ensure adoption happens thoughtfully, with evidence and safeguards in place.
What OpenAI's education initiative covers
OpenAI's Education for Countries programme works with governments to build national AI capability across education systems. The initiative focuses on three areas: secure tools for learning, teacher training, and research-led deployments that measure actual improvements in student outcomes.
Osborne cited three examples. In Estonia, ChatGPT Edu reaches more than 20,000 students and 4,600 teachers, with research underway alongside AI Leap, the University of Tartu, and Stanford. Greece's AI Startup Accelerator selected 21 AI-native startups from 240 applications. In Jordan, Siraj has supported more than 1 million students and 100,000 teachers.
OpenAI did not disclose funding terms, procurement routes, product pricing, or deployment timelines.
Ministers weigh education reform and AI
Barbara Nowacka, Poland's Minister of Education, spoke during a panel on "Prioritising education reform for greater impact" about Poland's "Compass of Tomorrow" reform and AI's role in modern education. She met with UK education officials during the forum to discuss introducing Polish as a foreign language into British schools.
Non-formal education gains attention
The Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation hosted a plenary session on non-formal education, arguing that young people need more than digital skills. They need confidence, resilience, judgment, and responsibility to handle complexity.
The foundation said non-formal education helps develop what it calls "foundational Human Skills" - capabilities that formal classroom instruction alone doesn't always build.
Education World Forum said conversations from the 2026 event will continue through the EWF Conversations podcast. The organisation is planning the 2027 edition.
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