With the widespread adoption of generative AI, educational institutions are rethinking their methods to address technical, pedagogical, and societal challenges.
At a time when AI is increasingly shaping our personal and professional lives, it is imperative to prepare students for a world in which this technology plays a central role.
AI in Education: Reliance and Dependence
Generative AI, used by 99% of students surveyed in a study conducted by De Vinci Higher Education, is transforming educational practices.
While 83% see it as a time-saver and 79% as a valuable aid in tackling complex problems, 51% of users report a dependence on it to complete certain tasks. This statistic illustrates a major challenge: how can AI be integrated without compromising learners’ autonomy?
The challenge for institutions such as EMLV is to strike a balance between technological innovation and human development through an approach that combines science, creativity, and humanism. Ultimately, AI, whether generative or degenerative, reflects, above all, the use made of it.
EMLV promotes spaces for dialogue around AI topics
In line with the evolving role of AI across multiple aspects of academic and professional development, EMLV fosters diverse spaces for discussion, learning, and experimentation.
Some of these events are the following:
- IA-Focused Hackathons – Cross-disciplinary projects designed for students from the three De Vinci schools – EMLV, ESILV, and IIM – to understand how AI is perceived in society and identify innovative solutions to solve concrete problems. To this end, cross-functional teams propose innovative solutions to highlight the importance of inclusion, sustainability, and ethics in AI practices and uses.
- Data & GENAI Seminar at EMLV – Automation and Generative AI for Digital Marketing, held at EMLV and IIM, brought together students of the dual degree programme in Digital Marketing & Data Analytics. Over four days, students alternated between lectures and practical sessions, following a ‘learning by doing’ approach. The topics covered included no-code and low-code tools, workflow automation, data analysis, and use cases for generative AI.
- AI in education: Generative or degenerative? A round table discussion at EMLV – Moderated by Peter Saba, EMLV lecturer, researcher, and co-coordinator for the interdisciplinary research axis ‘Data science, digital transformation, risk and complex systems’, this round table discussion enabled the three schools within De Vinci, EMLV, ESILV, and IIM, to offer a cross-disciplinary perspective on the integration of AI into teaching.
- Introductory programme to Artificial Intelligence – where EMLV students and teachers have participated in an introductory programme on Artificial Intelligence. This programme aims to explain how algorithms work and to master generative AI tools. The main objectives of the programme are to reduce the generational gap in technology use, to prepare students for a job market where AI is omnipresent, and to raise awareness of the ethical and environmental issues surrounding this technology.
