Presented by Leyla Atlığ, Freshman at the United Nations
International School (UNIS), on January 24, 2026.
Organized by The Light Millennium Global, in support of the Observance of the International Day of Education #EducationDay2026
In collaboration with the Coalition for the #CompulsoryPeaceICTsCampaign #7
Aligned with the UNESCO 2026 Dedication Theme: “The Power of Youth in Co-Creating Education”
• Booklet (including bios of the speakers)

“When students let AI think for themselves, they do not gain knowledge – they borrow it. And borrowed thinking cannot build real intelligence.“

[LMGlobal.Org] What if the future of education is already sitting in our backpacks? Not in our notebooks. Not in our textbooks. But in our devices. Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept. It is here – shaping how we study, how we research, and how we learn. And that is exactly why AI in education must not only be used… understood.

I realized this in eighth grade, when my class taught me something unexpected: AI is often inaccurate. We tested it. We questioned it. And we caught it confidently giving wrong answers. That moment changed how I saw AI – not as a genius, but as a tool that can mislead if we trust it blindly. And that is why my message today is simple: AI in education is not just powerful. It is influential. And influence demands responsibility.

Let us begin with its advantages. First, AI personalizes learning. Students learn at different rates. Some need repetition. Some need challenges. AI can adapt to those differences and help no student feel invisible.

Second, AI supports teachers. Handling repetitive tasks, it allows teachers to focus on what only humans can do – encourage, understand, and emotionally connect with students. AI should amplify teachers, not replace them. AI also helps create lessons, activities, assessments, and presentations – expanding what is possible in the classroom.

But every advantage carries a warning. AI makes academic misconduct easier. When students let AI think for themselves, they do not gain knowledge – they borrow it. And borrowed thinking cannot build real intelligence. AI also spreads misinformation.

These systems can generate data that sounds convincing but is completely false – so common that experts now call them “hallucinations.” If students stop questioning sources, education becomes copying, not learning. So we must ask ourselves: Are we raising critical thinkers… or careful imitators? Are we teaching students to use AI… or letting AI teach students what to think?

Because a classroom without humanity is empty. But a classroom without innovation is frozen. The solution is not fear. The solution is education. Educators and students must study how AI shapes learning, decision-making, and truth itself. We must teach how to question it, verify it, and use it ethically. Because AI is not the future of education. Students are. And the future will depend on how well we prepare them to use the tools we place in their hands. Let us not hand students power without guidance. Let us not give them answers without teaching them how to question.

Let us study AI – so that AI never studies us instead.

Thank you

©2026, The Light Millennium Global – www.lmglobal.org