The rapid digitalization of education, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the development of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI), is reshaping education and learning. New opportunities for increased access to education, personalized learning, and effective educational management have emerged. These advancements also come with challenges, including the risks of exacerbating existing inequalities, privacy and safety concerns, and emerging issues relating to ethics, governance, and equity.
As of 2024, nearly one-third of the world’s population, around 2.6 billion people, still lacks Internet access, deepening the digital divide and potentially leading to an artificial intelligence (AI) divide. Vulnerable groups, including girls, rural populations, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities, are particularly affected.
In this era of digital technology and AI, without proper safeguards —such as strong data protection measures, ethical frameworks, transparent governance, inclusive access policies, and accountability mechanisms— the right to education and other human rights are at risk.
This report emphasizes that all efforts must prioritize a human-centred and rights-based use of digital technology to benefit all learners. It calls for urgent national and international action to ensure that technology enhances, rather than endangers, the right to education for all.