Economists often say that “things take longer to happen than you think they will, and then they happen faster than you thought they could.” This sentiment feels especially relevant today, as I sit in Chicago on the second day of the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) 2025 conference.
It feels as if for years, the conversations around artificial intelligence (AI) in education lingered on the margins—fascinating, yes, but often speculative or fragmented. This year, it is both striking and encouraging to see digital technologies and AI taking such prominent space across plenaries, research sessions, and critical debates.
The conference theme, “Envisioning Education in a Digital Society,” invites us to engage more seriously with the possibilities and tensions of digital transformation in education. It challenges us to think about inclusion, governance, learning equity, and the ethical dimensions of AI—not just its technical capabilities.
Key Topics at CIES 2025
The sessions will touch on a wide spectrum of topics, including:
- Curriculum redesign in higher education to align with an AI-driven economy
- Teacher preparation and the use of AI in professional development and instructional design
- AI-powered data systems for foundational learning and real-time policy feedback
- Critical perspectives on algorithmic bias, data governance, and co-design with communities
- The implications of the digital divide on digital and computational skills development
The framing provided in the opening ceremony emphasized that digital transformation is not only about tools, but about learner experience, teacher identity, and the dual pressures of climate and technological transitions. These big-picture reflections are helping ground more applied sessions in the broader context of global education challenges.
Provocations and Ethics
I am looking forward the “Provocations Revisited” sessions, which challenge participants to interrogate assumptions about the role of technology in knowledge production, research dissemination, and belonging in digital spaces. These sessions don’t just present findings—they ask questions we still don’t have answers to. And that’s a good thing.
The conversations on ethics and equity are also timely. Several panels are exploring how AI systems reflect and reproduce existing power structures, and how we might build more inclusive alternatives. These discussions remind us that AI is not neutral, and that choices made during development—from datasets to design assumptions—have real consequences for learners.
Looking Ahead
As I look ahead to the rest of the week, I’m eager to continue exploring these themes. I’m especially interested in how we can:
- Amplify the positive impacts of AI in education
- Minimize unintended consequences and risks
- And most importantly, cut through the hype to focus on meaningful, evidence-informed innovation that can deliver impact at scale
AI is not a future challenge—it’s a current one. But as has been said, “the future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed.” The CIES community has a critical role to play in shaping how that distribution unfolds.
I’m looking forward to catching up with colleagues, meeting new collaborators, and learning from those bringing diverse experiences and perspectives to these complex questions.
If you’re attending CIES this week—or following along from afar—I’d love to hear your thoughts. What sessions are resonating with you? What tensions are you seeing? How can we work together to advance a more equitable and thoughtful use of AI in education?
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