Author: Graham Attwell

Anyone who has experimented with artificial intelligence in an educational setting has likely encountered the “context problem.” A foundation model might be highly capable of generating text or writing code, but when asked a specific question about an institution’s curriculum, a departmental policy, or the nuances of a specific vocational training module, it often falls flat. The AI lacks the internal context that human educators and administrators rely on every day. To address this, organisations have spent the last year building bespoke “knowledge bases” to feed their AI agents, resulting in a fragmented landscape of incompatible formats, proprietary systems, and […]

The regulatory landscape for artificial intelligence in Europe is shifting rapidly, and a significant milestone is approaching. While much of the discussion around the EU AI Act has focused on the delayed deadlines for “high-risk” systems, the transparency obligations outlined in Article 50 remain firmly on schedule. As of August 2, 2026, new rules will apply to how institutions and providers use and disclose AI-generated content and interactive systems. To assist with compliance, the European Commission recently published comprehensive guidelines clarifying these requirements. For those working in Vocational Education and Training (VET), understanding these distinctions is no longer a future […]

More from the UNESCO-UNEVOC guide “Integrating AI in TVET: A practical guide for institutions,” which I was lucky enough to be a member of the advisory group. I have written before of the challenge AI Poses for Vocational Education and Training being both the subject of VET and a means of teaching and learning about VET. VET institutions have to prepare learners for evolving occupational roles while figuring out how to use these technologies within their own teaching and administrative practices. The new publication from UNESCO-UNEVOC offers a roadmap for navigating this transition. Developed in collaboration with Shenzhen Polytechnic University […]

As the integration of artificial intelligence into educational settings accelerates, the conversation often centres on efficiency, personalization, and the automation of administrative tasks. However, a deeper philosophical question remains largely unaddressed: what is lost when we remove friction from the learning process? To explore this, we can turn to the work of Gert Biesta, a distinguished Dutch philosopher of education and Professor of Public Education at Maynooth University in Ireland, as well as Professor of Educational Theory and Pedagogy at the University of Edinburgh. Biesta has spent decades examining the fundamental purposes of education, arguing that it must go beyond […]

The narrative surrounding technological advancement often presents resistance as backwardness. However, a growing movement is reclaiming the term “Luddite,” not as a rejection of technology itself, but as a critical stance against the power structures that dictate its development and deployment. This sentiment is gaining traction globally, manifesting in diverse ways from cultural festivals in the United States to grassroots environmental and labour campaigns across Europe. For educators, trainers, and researchers, understanding this shift is crucial, as it highlights the profound social and political implications of the tools we increasingly rely upon. The historical Luddites of 19th-century England were skilled […]