AI: 89 per cent of children aged between 9 and 16 use it (but only one in four teachers)

Italia ranks third in Europe for the use of generative artificial intelligence amongst young people aged between 9 and 16: the figure stands at 89 per cent, compared with a European average of 72 per cent. However, the widespread use of AI amongst pupils is not matched by a corresponding level of adoption amongst teachers: only 25 per cent of Italian teachers say they use these tools in their teaching practice, compared with the OECD average of 36 per cent. This is revealed in the focus report ‘Artificial Intelligence in Italian Schools. Policies, Skills and Transformations of the Education System’, edited by CNEL Councillor Ivana Pais, with Stefano Pasta and Benedetta Uda, and included in the CNEL Report on Public Services 2026.

Students use artificial intelligence to search for information, get explanations, summarise texts, practise and complete their homework. 43 per cent use AI for studying, whilst 28 per cent use it to help with schoolwork. Among the main reasons cited are speeding up tasks, mentioned by 57 per cent of respondents, and saving time, cited by 45–46 per cent. However, the widespread use of these tools goes hand in hand with an awareness of the risks. 74 per cent of students fear a loss of basic skills and 62.8 per cent feel competitive pressure from their peers (Censis 2025 data).

Among teachers who use AI, 68 per cent use it to plan lessons, 32 per cent to provide feedback to pupils, 31 per cent for data analysis and 27 per cent for marking. The difficulties in adopting AI are mainly linked to a lack of skills and adequate training. There are also ongoing concerns about the impact of AI on learning: according to an Indire survey, 83.4% of teachers fear that pupils will place credence in unreliable results. The CNEL emphasises that teacher training is essential for the informed integration of artificial intelligence into schools.

Educational institutions are paying increasing attention to artificial intelligence. An analysis of 8,958 Three-Year Educational Plans (PTOFs) covering the period 2022–2025 reveals references to AI in 3,695 documents, accounting for approximately 41 per cent of the total. 92 per cent of schools that mention AI in their PTFs have benefited from at least one funding stream under the ‘School 4.0’ plan of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), compared with 73 per cent of those that do not mention it. In terms of investment, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) has allocated €450 million to digital training for around 650,000 teachers, headteachers and school staff, in addition to €100 million for training courses, workshops and laboratories dedicated to artificial intelligence in state schools.

The Report highlights how the Italian education system has responded swiftly to the spread of artificial intelligence. The main challenge, however, does not concern merely the availability of technologies, but the ability to use them to effectively improve teaching and learning processes. AI literacy cannot be limited to operational knowledge of the tools: it must include the ability to critically evaluate their results and recognise their limitations. The risk identified by the analysis is the emergence of a new form of digital divide. Whilst in the past inequality mainly concerned access to devices and infrastructure, today it increasingly concerns the ability to understand and manage technologies.