Data literacy in the age of generative artificial intelligence
Generative artificial intelligence (AI) is adding a new layer of complexity to the data revolution in education. As education systems generate and publish increasing amounts of information, how can countries ensure that policy-makers, educators, and citizens have the skills to interpret and use it responsibly?
This question was at the centre of an International Conference on 1 July on data literacy in the age of generative AI, organized by France Éducation International (FEI) in Sèvres, in partnership with the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP-UNESCO), as well as the Directorate for Digital Education (DNE-AMDAC) and the Delegation for European Relations from the French Ministry of National Education. Around 80 experts, policy-makers, and education practitioners from several countries explored how open data can better serve education systems and encourage dialogue and action.
Opening the discussion, FEI Director-General Henri de Rohan-Csermak asked: “How can we ensure the quality and reliability of data across diverse and often complex education systems? And under what conditions can data become a resource for everyone involved in education, rather than a tool reserved for specialists?”
Continuing the keynote, IIEP Director Martín Benavides made the case that data literacy – the ability to understand, question, and use data responsibly in context – is no longer a skill reserved for specialists, but a basic competence for all.
In the era of generative AI, data literacy is a civic issue. It means being able to question a source, understand how data is produced, see what is present and what is missing, identify bias, distinguish correlation from causation, and exercise judgment when claims are presented as objective or evidence-based.
Martín Benavides, IIEP-UNESCO Director
Echoing this message, FEI and IIEP-UNESCO published a compendium of data literacy projects for the Conference. Reviewing 23 initiatives across Europe, it argues that the next step after opening education data is ensuring that policy-makers, educators, and citizens have the skills to interpret and use it responsibly.
Discover the compendium (in French only)
Looking beyond Europe, CONFEMEN Secretary-General Abdel Rahamane Baba-Moussa highlighted digital literacy as a matter of sovereignty, noting that “data is only valuable if it enlightens action.”
Muriel Poisson, Head of the Knowledge Generation and Mobilization Team at IIEP-UNESCO, discussed data governance and the increasing availability of data to citizens. She shared findings from a recent study of open school data initiatives in Europe and beyond, including Australia, Indonesia, and the Philippines.
Generative AI can help explain technical terms, create summaries, and provide data visualization. But there are also risks attached, including inadequate answers, deceptive comparisons between schools and institutions, and privacy and reputational challenges.
Muriel Poisson, Head of the Knowledge Generation and Mobilization Team (KGeM), IIEP-UNESCO
Poisson emphasized that open school data creates real value when it goes beyond publication and is used to foster interpretation, dialogue, and informed action. Drawing on concrete examples, she illustrated how data can create opportunities for discussion among schools, families, students, public authorities, and civil society. She further explained how data portals, dashboards, and AI-powered tools can support users in verifying sources, understanding data limitations, reading results in context, and adhering to ethical safeguards.
Learn more about planning education for and with AI
Country voices
An international panel featuring representatives from the United Kingdom, Spain, Luxembourg, Estonia, and France explored how countries are using data to foster stronger education policies while strengthening data literacy.
Several presentations showed how open data can move beyond transparency to drive concrete action. In the UK, for example, education authorities are using attendance data to identify patterns of absenteeism and provide schools with insights to help improve student attendance and ultimately student outcomes.
Other countries shared how they are developing skills to use data effectively. Spain presented its nationwide approach to strengthening teachers' digital competence, including new training on the responsible use of AI, while Luxembourg highlighted how open data portals are helping schools, policy-makers, and the public interpret education data to support decision-making.
The afternoon programme showcased innovative data literacy initiatives developed across different educational contexts. A poster session encouraged participants to exchange practices and identify solutions that can be adapted and replicated elsewhere. Finally, during collaborative workshops, participants explored how to fully harness the potential of data in the age of generative AI. Through hands-on exercises, they tested AI-powered tools to access, analyze, synthesize, and visualize open school datasets.
In only a few years, generative AI has radically changed the way education data is collected, produced, accessed, and interpreted. The speakers emphasized that data discussions have moved beyond calls for more data collection to a focus on making sure that students, parents, teachers, and policy-makers have the knowledge and skills to engage with data critically and responsibly.
