Advancing inclusive AI in higher education: University and UNESCO host joint seminar

04 Jun 2026

Faculty researchers and UNESCO examined how AI competency building can better support equality and inclusion across global higher education at a recent seminar.

The University and UNESCO jointly organised a seminar on inclusivity and equality in AI competency building in higher education, held as part of an AI hackathon convened by Dr Taslima Ivy and Dr Martyn Edwards. The seminar brought together researchers and international policy specialists to examine how AI competency frameworks can be developed and adapted across diverse global contexts.

Professor Fengchun Miao, Chief of Education at the UNESCO International Institute for STEM Education and Lead on AI and the Future of Learning at UNESCO HQ, presented an overview of the development and rationale behind UNESCO's AI competency frameworks.

Dr Skye Zhao and Melti Oktavianda from the Manchester Institute of Education in SEED followed with empirical findings from a global survey in collaboration with UNESCO, examining how these frameworks are understood and applied across higher education institutions worldwide, including in Saudi Arabia, China, India and Indonesia.

Regional perspectives were also offered by Norihide Furukawa, Head of Education at the UNESCO Dhaka Office, and Mr Jian Xi Teng, Education Programme Specialist at the UNESCO Regional Office for South Asia, whose contributions drew on experiences across India, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Bhutan.

The seminar highlighted the digital divides, institutional hesitancy and challenges of contextualising AI competency frameworks within Global South settings, where Anglo-centric assumptions do not fully account for local linguistic, cultural and structural realities. The seminar also drew attention to the underrepresentation of marginalised learner groups, including students with disabilities, those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, and individuals in minority language contexts.

Get involved: Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education Conference, 9–10 June

To further advance the topic of AI inclusion in higher education, Dr Skye Zhao, together with Prof Peter Kahn, Dr Heather Cockayne, and Dr Mark Carrigan, will be convening the Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education Conference on 9 and 10 June. The conference will bring together researchers, educators, students and policymakers to explore how Generative AI can advance or hinder equality, diversity and inclusion in higher education. If you would like to attend, you can register to attend the conference online via Eventbrite.

Congratulations to our colleagues in MIE on their contributions to advancing this significant research agenda.