Artificial Intelligence that Transforms, Educates, and Inspires

Cynthia Breazeal, Director of MIT RAISE, poses next to the winning Brazilian team — Joao Luz Cosentino, Bruno Sayeg Soares, Henrique de Marce Filgueiras, Alice Perez Gesteira, and Professor André Lozano.

By Daniela Valdivia-Terres

In 2025, artificial intelligence (AI)—which until recently seemed like something out of science fiction movies—has become part of almost every aspect of our lives: from medical or dating applications to household appliances; from our workplaces to the classrooms where our children learn. AI is transforming the way we work, interact, and learn.

Against this backdrop, the initiative “Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education” (MIT RAISE) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) organized the Artificial Intelligence and Education Summit. From July 16 to 18, the university campus brought together more than 400 leaders from over 20 countries to discuss how to harness AI ethically and responsibly in the educational field.

High school and doctoral students, educators, researchers, government representatives, and major tech companies such as Google shared advancements and discoveries, exchanged solutions, and presented proposals for AI to help expand access to education, foster creativity, and open new opportunities for all.

AI in the Service of Teaching

Rodrigo Pimentel, Director of Google for Education for Latin America, emphasized how AI can help relieve teachers’ administrative burdens, allowing them to focus on teaching and student support. At the same time, he raised a key reflection: “What you ask is what you’ll get.” Practicing how we interact with AI (known as prompt engineering) will be one of the most valuable skills of the future. “AI must inspire critical thinking, not replace it,” Pimentel stressed.

Human Creativity, an Irreplaceable Essence

From the panel “AI for Creative Learning”, experts such as Mitchel Resnick, creator of Scratch (a free platform for learning programming through visual blocks), reminded the audience that AI should enhance our creativity, not diminish it. “The most valuable learning is not always the easiest; it is the one that connects with what we are passionate about and challenges us,” Resnick said, pointing to the importance of preserving that human spark in the digital age.

Journalism with Accuracy and Human Oversight

In the panel “News and Education in the Era of AI”, the focus was on information ethics. Nancy Barnes, Executive Editor of the Boston Globe, warned: “Accuracy must prevail over speed”—noting that in times of social media and pressure for immediacy, it is essential to carefully verify information before publishing to avoid misinformation or lack of context.

Elena Glassman, professor at Harvard, pointed out that AI often highlights what is most repeated, but not necessarily what is most relevant. Susan Goldberg, CEO of GBH, added: “We have to meet people where they are, and that means being on multiple platforms, adapting content to each one, but without losing the human component in editorial decisions.” All agreed that maintaining human oversight is vital to protect the credibility and diversity of information.

Strong Latin American Presence: Classes in Spanish and Portuguese

In this second edition, more than 50 representatives from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Mexico, Peru, and Puerto Rico participated, highlighting the growing use of AI in education across Latin America. The summit included workshops on platforms such as App Inventor, among other resources for teachers, aimed at integrating AI into their classrooms. This year, the workshops were offered in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Outstanding Latin American Students

The Hackathon, or contest, is perhaps the most exciting section (at least for this reporter). Hack in English means to create or solve ingeniously, and marathon refers to intensive work in a limited time.

Contestants had to create AI applications to solve problems in their communities, following the United Nations competency framework. Among the most innovative ideas, Hal Abelson, Co-founder of MIT App Inventor and MIT RAISE, highlighted: “In India, a group of students developed an app to monitor water usage and promote responsible consumption, helping to tackle scarcity and improve resource management.”

Similarly, a team of Brazilian students aged 13 to 14—Alice Perez Gesteira, Joao Luz Cosentino, Bruno Sayeg Soares, and Henrique de Marce Filgueiras—designed a prototype and an app that measures water consumption in the shower, sending alerts when usage exceeds the average and offering tips for responsible use. This project won first place in its category.

One who did not participate in this hackathon but organizes her own in Puerto Rico is 13-year-old Ana Lucía Pérez. Homeschooled, she was invited as a panelist and also presented her nonprofit organization “De a Pokito por Puerto Rico.” Inspired by her passion for science and technology as a driver of social change, Pérez founded Brainy Hacks Puerto Rico, the first hackathon on the island led by a girl, where youth ages 12 to 16 design AI applications to tackle challenges such as climate change. Since 2024, she has held four editions, impacting more than 160 students. Her inspiring presentation was met with a standing ovation, while her parents watched proudly.

Free Materials for Educators

Andrés Salazar, Colombian researcher and member of the organizing team, explained: “MIT RAISE creates curricula and educational programs on AI to foster AI literacy, not only for children but also for teachers and society at large.”

The initiative offers specialized teacher training, with ready-to-use classroom workshops and materials. In addition, it develops structured programs implemented in primary and secondary schools, often in collaboration with governments, incorporating the content into the official curriculum.

“On Day of AI, we have materials and content for people from 5 to 18 years old. They are 30-minute courses that include guides, slides, explanatory videos, tests, and questions that teachers can use. All this material is free; no one has to pay for access, and I think that’s very important,” Salazar emphasized.

These resources, originally in English, are also available in Spanish and Portuguese. More information is available at raise.mit.edu