On 11 July 2025, the third AI Symposium (in German: ‘3. KI-Fachtag’) took place at the Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien (IWM), jointly organised by the Centre for School Quality and Teacher Education (ZSL), the Regierungspräsidium Tübingen, KI Makerspace, Tübingen Center for Digital Education (TüCeDE) and the IWM. This year, the focus was on critical reflection on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the school context.

The event kicked off with a keynote speech by Jaqueline Bellon from the International Center for Ethics in the Sciences and Humanities (IZEW) entitled ‘Generative AI and critical judgement: effects and consequences for knowledge production, society and teaching’ (original title in German: ‘Generative KI und kritische Urteilskraft: Effekte und Folgen für Wissensproduktion, Gesellschaft und Lehre’). It encouraged a differentiated view of the potentials and risks of generative AI and a discussion of its impact on educational processes.

A total of 112 subject advisors for teaching development and teacher training, representatives of school supervisory authorities and seminar teachers took part. The aim of the event was to enable teachers to not only understand AI from a technical perspective, but also to use it in their lessons in a reflective and responsible manner.

Exchange on opportunities and challenges

A special highlight was the ‘Market of Opportunities’ at lunchtime: In an open poster fair, scientists, including members of the IWM, presented current research projects on AI-supported learning and media education. The participants were able to find out about innovative approaches, share experiences and make new contacts.

‘For us as researchers, who often deal with topics such as AI and media effects at a very detailed level, the exchange with practitioners and the ZSL is extremely beneficial - it helps us to constantly sharpen our focus on the concrete challenges in everyday school life,’ says Dr. Georg Pardi from the Multimodal Interaction lab, who was involved in the organisation of the event.

In addition to professional input, the event also emphasised peer-to-peer exchange: Various discussion formats were used to discuss how AI can enrich the school ecosystem - and what challenges need to be overcome.