BRICS group debates ethical and inclusive use of artificial intelligence in education
Online seminar gathered experts to share experiences, with focus on teacher training and school management. Ministerial meeting is scheduled for June.
The potentialities and challenges of new technologies in public education were the theme of the agenda of one of the BRICS groups, with Brasil playing a leading role. The Brazilian Ministry of Education (Ministério da Educação /MEC) organized the first online seminar under the current Brazilian Presidency of BRICS-Education. Under the theme “Ethical and inclusive adoption of artificial intelligence in basic education: sharing standards”, the event was an opportunity for participants to learn more about how each BRICS country has been dealing with the issue. In addition to Brasil, experts from China, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates presented their experiences.
Anita Stefani, director of Support to Educational Management at the Brazilian Ministry of Education's Basic Education Secretariat (Secretaria de Educação Básica /SEB-MEC), opened the event sharing that MEC has been developing strategies, including courses and the Framework of Teachers' Digital Competencies (Referencial de Saberes Digitais Docentes), for artificial intelligence (AI) to foster and expand opportunities that take equity into consideration. “We believe that teachers and managers must take ownership of AI’s technological potential in a critical and productive way, and that is why it is essential to work with curriculum adaptation and training,” she explained. The director also thanked the representatives for their participation, which she considered very enriching for the domedtic debate. “Learning more about these external experiences was very useful in this moment when Brasil is also working to advance its digital education policies and the discussions about AI in education,” she concluded.
AI use in the context of teaching-and-learning and school management was the issue raised by Fernando Filgueiras, Director of Strategic Information and Innovation at MEC's Secretariat of Information Management, Innovation, and Educational Policy Evaluation (Secretaria de Gestão da Informação, Inovação e Avaliação de Políticas Educacionais /SEGAPE). For him, it was an interesting opportunity to be in contact with a diveristy of experiences on AI research, development and use. “Everyone is looking to incorporate artificial intelligence in schools somehow, learning about how teachers can use this technology as an instrumentos to improve education,” Filgueiras observed.
Francisco Figueiredo de Souza, MEC's Special Advisor for International Affairs, highlighted that the seminar continued discussions on the use of digital tools in education that had been initiated within the BRICS in previous years. He also underscored that AI has been identified by Brasil’s Presidency of the Republic as a priority for BRICS as a whole, bringing it into discussion in other working groups beyond education, including those focused on employment and science. “What we want is for these new tools to correct inequalities instead of deepening them,” Souza pointed out.
Another participant at the event, Professor Seiji Isotani, from the University of São Paulo (USP), presented a commentary on the Brazilian context. The seminar integrates the agenda of activities planned by MEC for the BRICS, culminating with the Meeting of Ministers of Education in June this year. For MEC, presiding the BRICS-Education represents an opportunity to expand international partnerships, explore innovative solutions, and share experiences with nations that face similar educational challenges.
BRICS – Originally formed in 2009 by Brasil, Russia, India, and China; in 2011, the BRICS added South Africa as a full member. In 2024, the adhesion of new members was announced: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Indonesia entered the group in 2025. In the educational field, ministerial meetings began in 2013, promoting collaborations that aim to address common challenges.
Source: Social Communications Office - MEC