Margit Sutrop: what should schools teach when artificial intelligence provides the answers?

Philosopher and ethicist Margit Sutrop asks what the school's role should be in an era where artificial intelligence has become an integral part of the learning process. AI has made its way into students' phones, homework and teaching materials. Whether this is good or bad depends on what role it plays.

Philosopher and ethicist Margit Sutrop raises an important question: what should schools teach in an era when artificial intelligence can provide an answer to nearly every question? Artificial intelligence is already an inseparable part of the learning process today — it is present in students' phones, homework, teachers' desks and learning materials.

Artificial intelligence in the classroom

This is no longer a future scenario. Students use AI-powered tools daily, often without the school directing or guiding them. This raises a fundamental pedagogical question: if a machine can solve a maths problem, write an essay or explain a historical event, what is the school's actual purpose?

Sutrop emphasises that artificial intelligence's impact on education is in itself neither good nor bad — everything depends on what role it plays in the learning process. If AI replaces thinking, that is a problem. But if it supports and expands human thinking capacity, it can become a valuable tool.

The importance of critical thinking

The key question is how to raise children who can use artificial intelligence critically — not simply copying answers, but asking whether the answer is correct, ethical and contextually appropriate. In Sutrop's view, schools should shift their focus from factual knowledge to deeper understanding, creativity and ethical reasoning.

In Estonia's educational landscape, this debate is particularly timely, given the country's ambitions to be a digital pioneer in the world. How to harness AI's potential while maintaining a holistic and humanistic education — that is a question without a clear answer yet, but one that can no longer be avoided.