AI in Education: A New Bill

Elisaveta Belobradova, MP from the parliamentary group "Continuing the Change - Democratic Bulgaria", presented a completely new bill on the use and development of artificial intelligence (AI) in Bulgaria to the media and non-governmental organizations. It is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly next week.

According to Belobradova, the bill is the result of in-depth work and focuses particularly on the integration of AI into the educational process and improving the quality of education.

The acquisition of digital literacy by children is central to the bill. "Digitalizing processes in education takes longer than going to a bookstore and buying textbooks on the spot", Belobradova commented, emphasizing the need for quick and efficient implementation of modern technologies in schools.

One of the key proposals is for the Ministry of Education to provide specialized training for teachers to prepare them for working with AI in the classroom. Belobradova pointed out that many teachers are still not sufficiently prepared for this new reality. "Teachers are not well enough prepared to work with AI, and this will not change until they understand that it is there to help them prepare more easily and better, to be able to respond individually to the needs of the children. This must be included in the educational strategy", she shared.

According to her, a change in approach is needed to realize that AI is a tool that can facilitate the work of teachers and improve the quality of education, not replace it.

The vision of "Democratic Bulgaria" for the digitalization of education focuses on ensuring equal access to quality education, with AI positioned as an assistant, not a substitute for the teacher. "A school that forms knowledge and skills in accordance with the current needs of the labor market", Belobradova emphasized.

A main focus is the development of key competencies and skills in students. "The question is what is the goal of education – the goal is to develop competencies, skills", she said, outlining the new paradigm in the education system.

The debate on the topic, held within the INSIGHT institute, shed light on the need to adapt curricula, especially in mathematics and statistics, to show children the practical application of AI. This, according to the participants in the debate, will help in the fight against disinformation spread through artificial intelligence.

The atmosphere during the presentation of the bill was tense, with evident interest from the attending experts and representatives of public organizations.