AI & Education: From fascination to strategy - January 2026
In-depth analysis of systemic AI shifts in higher education: generalization of PIX IA, the AI Act, global initiatives, and a feature on the erosion of critical thinking.
January 2026
Editorial: 2026, AI is no longer an option, it is infrastructure
January 2026 will be remembered as the month when artificial intelligence stopped being a fascination and became foundational infrastructure for education. The time for isolated pilots is over; systemic integration is now the mandate. This sweeping shift comes with deep tensions: while governments roll out large-scale solutions, an overwhelming majority of educators (90%) and organizations such as the OECD are sounding the alarm over the erosion of core cognitive skills.
"In 2026, AI stops being something we talk about and becomes something we plan. Institutions that operationalize it will secure decisive competitive advantage. Those that ignore it will inherit a ghost educational system—omnipresent yet uncontrollable—that will shape students without their consent."
This newsletter decodes that pivotal moment, balancing deployment imperatives with the urgent need to safeguard the essence of education: the ability to think for oneself.
🇫🇷 France: Scaling up and seeking sovereignty
PIX IA: Training for everyone becomes the standard
Scaling PIX IA pathways
Since January 2026, digital skills training on the Pix platform now includes a mandatory AI module. The measure affects 1.5 million students (grade 8, 10th grade, and CAP year one) and aims to establish a shared foundation around how generative AI works, prompting, source verification, and algorithmic bias. For the 150,000 university learners already using Pix, these modules serve as prerequisites or refresher courses, creating an unprecedented educational continuum.
Partnership for Innovation in AI (P2IA)
France 2030 funds six AI teaching assistants for cycle 3 (grades 5 to 6): Expliq, Edumalin, Mathia-C3, Origamia, Cards, yLANG. These are designed to augment, not replace, teachers: they provide dashboards to monitor progress, personalized remediation paths, and instant feedback for students.
The "AI Month" across academic districts
The Montpellier and Aix-Marseille districts spearhead the "AI Month", a series of webinars and workshops meant to equip educators, share best practices, and showcase pedagogical innovations that integrate AI.
Regulation and sovereignty: The twin challenge
AI Act: Europe adjusts course
Faced with implementation hurdles, the European Commission proposed adjustments to the AI Act on November 19, 2025. The dual objective is to avoid overburdening European SMEs while strengthening the AI Office, the supervisory body. Digital literacy is now a priority so citizens and companies grasp the stakes of this regulation.
Sovereignty: Beyond words
France is accelerating the deployment of sovereign tools such as DemoES, a secure platform for experimenting with AI in classrooms. Emphasis is placed on GDPR and AI Act compliance, ensuring student and teacher data remain protected—an essential strategic posture against American tech giants.
🌍 International: Massive rollout and early alerts
OpenAI launches "Education for Countries"
On January 21, 2026, OpenAI formalized its move into education. The "Education for Countries" initiative seeks to integrate ChatGPT Edu across national education systems. Eight founding partners—including Estonia, Greece, and Italy (through CRUI)—lead the way. Estonia, the pilot, already equipped 30,000 students and teachers since September 2025, providing valuable lessons on large-scale deployment.
OECD: The report sounding the alarm on "metacognitive laziness"
The Digital Education Outlook 2026 from the OECD is unequivocal. Unsupervised use of generative AI leads to "metacognitive laziness": students outsource the thinking effort, boosting short-term performance (+48%) but sharply reducing retention and deep understanding (-17% on exams without AI). The recommendation is clear: educational tools must be co-designed with teachers to stimulate, not replace, cognition.
Regulation and frameworks: Australia and the USA up front
Australia’s quality agency TEQSA is shifting from awareness to binding regulation in 2026. In the United States, the University at Buffalo requires every department to define a clear AI usage policy for theses and dissertations, acknowledging that AI is now central to the research process.
🛠️ What’s new: Technology serving pedagogy?
GPT-5.2 and "Study Mode": OpenAI’s answer
- GPT-5.2 "Study Mode": In response to cognitive laziness critiques, OpenAI launched an educational mode that embraces a Socratic approach. Instead of handing answers to students, the AI asks guiding questions, nudges them through reasoning, and helps them build their own understanding. It's an attempt to turn a "responder" into a "tutor."
- Massive LMS integration: Platforms such as Moodle, Anthology (Blackboard), and Microsoft Teams are deploying conversational agents that plug into administrative tasks (planning) and pedagogical workflows (quiz creation, syllabus drafting).
Sovereign and specialized tools gain momentum
- PIX IA: Its strength lies in a competency-based design, delivering personalized pathways that cover the essential know-how from secondary to higher education.
- P2IA: The six new primary school services exemplify "specialist" AI built for precise tasks—adaptive teaching, differentiated instruction, and real-time feedback—far from generalist models.
- DemoES and others: Developing sovereign tools ensures data protection and a better alignment with French curricula and educational values.
🏛️ Organization: Build structure and regulation instead of reacting
AI Act: Europe seeks balance
The 2025 simplification of the AI Act aims to protect citizens without suffocating innovation. By easing constraints for SMEs and reinforcing the AI Office, the EU intends to regulate high-risk systems (such as those used in education) while fostering the rise of European champions.
Australia: The gray area ends
The decision by TEQSA to adopt a strict regulatory framework marks a turning point. Universities can no longer rely on recommendations. They must demonstrate robust measures to preserve academic integrity. Mandatory in-person exams for online degrees by 2027 could reshape distance learning.
📅 Agenda: Key AI in education events
IICE 2026 (Honolulu, Jan 3-7)
The 11th IAFOR international conference, a global crossroads for research on interdisciplinarity between education and the digital humanities.
Ampiric seminar "AI and learning" (Jan 7)
Organized by Aix-Marseille University and Réseau Canopé, this seminar explores ethical questions: data, IP, and ecological impact.
Webconference "A school without teachers?" (Jan 7)
A roundtable by Atelier du Formateur to debunk myths and probe the realities of AI as a teacher's tool.
Festival de l'Apprendre (Jan 21-28)
A national event celebrating pedagogical innovations, with a special focus this year on integrating AI into creative processes.
International Education Day (Jan 23)
At UNESCO headquarters in Paris, the GEM report and global initiatives for "AI serving inclusive education" are unveiled.
Symposium on AI and assistive technologies (Jan 27-28)
Held in India, this symposium investigates how AI can become a lever for inclusive education and accessibility.
💡 Feature: AI between illusory performance and proactive governance
The critical thinking crisis: a systemic risk
Brookings Global Task Force’s warning
After 18 months of study involving 500 experts from 50 countries, the Brookings Global Task Force delivers a wake-up call: the current AI risks outweigh its proven benefits for learning. The report uncovers a measurable decline in critical thinking skills and an alarming "disconnect" between mere technological presence and actual learning quality.
UNESCO reasserts the irreplaceable role of teachers
Echoing that stance, UNESCO publishes a report affirming that AI cannot and must not replace teachers. The agency calls for embedding this principle into governance frameworks and requires teachers to be central to the design, procurement, and deployment of AI tools to safeguard pedagogical relevance.
Toward the "Agentic AI University": Opportunity or threat?
The concept of the "Agentic AI University" is gaining traction. In 2026, AI is no longer a passive tool but an autonomous agent capable of handling complex tasks (student orientation, administrative management, personalized tutoring). This raises a strategic question: will universities steer this change through secure institutional deployments, or allow a "Shadow AI"—unsupervised and insecure use—to take root?
Conclusion: From reactive anxiety to proactive governance
January 2026 crystallizes the major tension of our educational era. On one side, an industrial-scale deployment race (OpenAI for Countries, PIX generalization). On the other, a chorus of experts (OECD, Brookings) warning of a potential cognitive catastrophe. Their message is clear: without pedagogical intent, AI generates illusory performance that never turns into lasting learning.
Institutions must move beyond reactive anxiety (anti-plagiarism monitoring, bans) to build proactive governance. That means designing and integrating AI not as a substitute, but as a lever for pedagogy, co-constructed with teachers and tailored to students.
Watch closely: the results of the 42 consortiums competing for the "Sovereign AI for Teachers" call (expected spring 2026), the impact of the University at Buffalo's new thesis policies, and the first quantified feedback from Estonia’s ChatGPT Edu deployment.
Sources and References
- "The Widening Gap: AI's Impact on Critical Thinking in Higher Ed", AACU/Elon University survey, January 22, 2026.
- "Pix generalizes AI training in secondary education", News Tank, September 29, 2025.
- "Pix AI pathways, a ready-to-use upskilling tool for higher ed", Campus Matin, October 2, 2025.
- "P2IA experimentation kicks off", Éduscol, January 15, 2026.
- "AI Month program: webinars and workshops", Montpellier Academy, January 5, 2026.
- "OpenAI launches 'Education for Countries' with eight founding partners", OpenAI Blog, January 21, 2026.
- "Digital Education Outlook 2026: The Cognitive Cost of AI", OECD, January 19, 2026.
- "Memo on AI use policies for graduate theses", University at Buffalo, December 15, 2025.
- "AI Act: Commission proposes simplification package", European Commission, November 19, 2025.
- "The Rise of the Agentic AI University", Inside Higher Ed, January 7, 2026.
- "90% Of Faculty Say AI Is Weakening Student Learning", Forbes, January 27, 2026.
- "Navigating the Risks and Rewards: AI in Global Education", Brookings Institution, January 29, 2026.
- "Guidance for generative AI in education and research", UNESCO, September 2025.