by Claudia Segre
THE BLOGGERS’ CORNER. Norway’s decision presents Europe with a real dilemma: how can technology actually aid learning, and how can we avoid hindering the development of cognitive abilities? This is a question also raised by the introduction of the AI Act, which reminds us that true innovation lies in investing in human skills.
For years, the introduction of digital technology into teaching has raised questions about the balance between updating teachers’ skills and revising curricula to bring them into line with a world of work which, precisely because of digital technology, is changing and demanding new skills. The digitisation of schools has been seen as an inevitable march towards the future, and the introduction of digital tools in schools has always been linked to the prospect of better teaching. Today, however, something is changing.
Norway has decided to change course. Consequently, from the next academic year, pupils aged between 6 and 13 will not be allowed to use generative artificial intelligence tools, whilst for those aged between 14 and 16, their use will only be permitted on a gradual basis and under the supervision of teachers. In secondary school, the aim is to prepare pupils for the responsible use of artificial intelligence with a view to university and the world of work. At the same time – and taking many who remain sceptical by surprise – the government has decided to reinforce the return to paper books and printed materials in compulsory education.
The decision has intensified the debate, and some have interpreted it as a return to the past, as though it were a rejection of technology and a step backwards, almost a denial of the inevitable. In reality, viewing the news through this lens is a mistake, because the question Norway is now posing to Europe is much more than a matter of timing: it is a genuine dilemma – in what ways does technology genuinely aid learning, and how can we avoid the risk of hindering the development of cognitive abilities?
Artificial Intelligence is probably the most extraordinary educational innovation of recent decades, and that is a fact. Its merits are undeniable: from its ability to personalise learning pathways, support pupils with special educational needs, translate content and suggest exercises, right through to assisting teachers in preparing lessons. But the same technology can also have the opposite effect if it is introduced too early into school curricula, or without adequate ‘educational mediation’.
Thinking about the youngest learners: a child who relies on an algorithm to write a text, if they have not yet learnt to construct their own reasoning, risks not only plagiarism, but also laying the groundwork for a gradual abandonment of cognitive effort: reading, memorising, linking information, and even making mistakes and correcting them, until they develop a critical mind. These skills make it possible to use Artificial Intelligence without becoming dependent on it.
Hence the new law, through which Norway clearly distinguishes between different age groups, with a clear objective: first to consolidate fundamental skills and only then to lay the foundations for developing informed digital citizenship; the teaching of artificial intelligence tools must take place once critical thinking has already been developed, to optimise their use. It must be an educational progression that places the individual at the centre, not technology.
And, like Norway, Sweden – which has long been regarded as one of the world’s leading examples of digital education – is once again investing in printed books, school libraries and handwriting, having observed a gradual decline in basic skills over recent years. But that is not all, as France, the Netherlands, Finland and Denmark are now following suit, having recently tightened restrictions on smartphone use in schools, prioritising ‘phone-free’ environments to promote concentration, social interaction and the quality of learning.
With the AI Act coming into full effect in August 2026, Europe is introducing a principle set to have a profound impact not only on businesses, but also on public administrations and organisations that use artificial intelligence systems: the obligation to ensure an adequate level of AI literacy – that is, literacy in the field of artificial intelligence – for all workers. AI literacy means understanding how algorithms work, and being aware of their limitations, risks, biases, ethical implications, legal responsibilities, personal data protection, transparency and human oversight. It means being able to use artificial intelligence competently, proportionately and with full awareness.
And, for the first time, European legislation states that simply introducing a technology is not enough: people must be prepared to use it responsibly. In the face of this cultural paradigm shift, the AI Act reminds us that true innovation lies in investing in human skills. And so, at a fundamental level, the same principle should also guide education.
Artificial Intelligence literacy cannot begin by teaching pupils how to write the perfect prompt. It must begin much earlier, by developing reading, writing, logic, the scientific method, argumentative skills, data literacy, digital citizenship and critical thinking. Only those who possess these skills will be truly free to use AI without being influenced by it, because artificial intelligence itself is not in question – what is in question is how to introduce it without undermining the cognitive skills of the younger generations.
For this reason, the Norwegian example does not represent a rejection of modernity. Rather, it represents a call to distinguish between technological innovation and educational innovation; where the former consists of introducing increasingly sophisticated tools, whilst the latter consists of educating citizens who are capable of understanding these tools, managing them and, if necessary, even questioning them.
Europe, through the AI Act, is telling us that technology cannot replace critical thinking; it can only enhance it, and the development of critical thinking takes precedence. Schools should therefore equip the younger generations not with a fast track to using Artificial Intelligence as soon as possible, but, first and foremost, with the ability to think, so that they can use it without sacrificing their intellectual autonomy. Because true digital literacy consists, first and foremost, in knowing how to reason as human beings; only in this way does AI literacy become a new form of economic and democratic citizenship, and those who do not understand its logic risk a new form of social exclusion, just as happens to those who lack financial literacy.
