BELGRADE, September 12, 2025 — Over 30 researchers gathered yesterday for the AI2PI panel discussion at the European Educational Research Association (ECER) conference, marking an important milestone just four months after our Berlin kickoff. We came to share preliminary insights on preparing teachers for AI integration—and left with sharper questions than we arrived with.

Why ECER

The ECER conference brings together educational researchers from across Europe to discuss the latest developments in education. For AI2PI, this was a strategic opportunity to connect with colleagues working on similar challenges, gather critical feedback on our emerging framework, and contribute to the growing conversation about AI literacy in teacher education.

Our panel, hosted by Network 06 (Open Learning: Media, Environments and Cultures), explored how research can inform practical AI integration in educational contexts (detailed panel description). The timing was deliberate: early enough to benefit from community input, yet far enough along to share meaningful preliminary findings.

The Core Challenge

"When students are using AI, where is the role of the teacher?", this question captured the session's central tension. If teaching is fundamentally about human relationships, how do AI tools fit in—or do they?

Assessment emerged as a flashpoint: How do we evaluate learning when AI can generate essays? One participant warned against a "pedagogy of blocking"—banning AI might preserve traditional structures but leaves students unprepared. Another scholar from the audience identified our balancing act: responding to policy demands while maintaining rigorous inquiry into epistemology and ethics. His challenge resonated: We need to be critical about how we define AI literacy itself. Participants emphasized that AI integration varies dramatically across national contexts. Our seven-country consortium must develop frameworks that work across Europe while respecting local educational cultures.

Moving Forward

The feedback validated our approach while pushing us to sharpen our thinking. We're establishing newsletter and extending our website by end of September 2025. Monthly meetings, survey development, and conceptual work on AI literacy continue. We know that, at the latest, next year's ECER conference in Tampere will be an excellent opportunity to continue this discussion.