The integration of artificial intelligence into the school environment currently reveals a significant gap in usage: in France, whilst 8 out of 10 young people use AI, only 2 out of 10 teachers have incorporated it into their professional practice. In light of this trend, the “Short practical guide of educational AI in Hauts-de-France” offers a framework for reflection and suggestions for action.
Published by the EdTech Hauts-de-France association, this publication (currently available only in French and English serves as a key methodological resource.
The aim of this document is to analyse how this technology can support learning and what precautions should be taken to ensure its consistent use in education.
1. AI: a powerful tool for practising and personalising learning
The strength of artificial intelligence lies in its ability to cater for the diversity of classes. Whereas teachers often lack the time to adapt to each pupil’s pace, AI enables personalised support.
What the guide proposes: AI offers pupils the opportunity to benefit from more time to practise thanks to the generation of virtually infinite banks of exercises. Above all, it provides immediate feedback, which is essential for active and motivating learning.
Beyond its effectiveness, AI can represent real hope for educational equity. Unlike expensive private tuition, it makes support accessible to everyone, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. It helps students struggling with their studies to consolidate their knowledge through testing. It also addresses specific needs (DYS disorders, visual impairments, non-native speakers). To do this, it uses tools for transcribing or adapting materials. No single teacher could master such a wide range of tools on their own.
Because a picture is worth a thousand words:
- Loumo Correction : This tool (the 2025 EdTech Young Entrepreneurs Award) automates marking. It uses the teacher’s own marking schemes and analyses exam papers to ensure consistent and rapid marking. It is a solution used particularly in higher education.
- Cantoo : A genuine support platform (winner of the 2025 EdTech Entrepreneur Grand Prix), it adapts educational content for pupils with special needs, particularly those with ‘dys’ disorders, using text-to-speech or text highlighting.
Please refer to the guide: a wide range of other practical solutions are set out on pages 15 to 17.
2. AI and the challenge of cognitive laziness
While AI is a powerful tool, it carries a significant risk: ‘cognitive laziness’. This refers to the tendency to delegate all thinking to the machine. The aim is not to ban the tool, but to adapt our methods to ensure that students remain intellectually engaged.
What the guide proposes: Rather than letting AI provide a final answer, we can integrate it into the heart of the thinking process. The idea is to move from passive consumption to active engagement. For example, the guide suggests asking pupils to critique the machine’s output or to use it solely as a tool for generating ideas, rather than as a writer.
Since the use of these tools is now firmly established among pupils, it is up to teachers to adapt their content and instructions to make AI a tool rather than an obstacle.
Example:
Creative approaches to overcoming the passive use of AI (Chloé Ségard, a secondary school French teacher): Rather than simply accepting the AI, this teacher chose to use it to challenge it. She asked the AI directly to help her design an assignment that the machine itself would struggle to complete! The result? An exercise combining personal reflections, creative writing and artistic collage.
The solution often lies in integrating AI directly into the classroom. By allowing pupils to use the tool whilst asking them to document their ‘interactions’ with it (prompts used, corrections made), we encourage them to explain their reasoning. AI then becomes a tool for metacognition: pupils learn to use the tool without letting it take over.
3. Conclusion
Artificial intelligence is neither inevitable nor a miracle solution. Using it effectively means entrusting it with the automation of repetitive tasks, thereby freeing up time for what really matters: critical thinking, intuition and empathy. As we have seen, the challenge lies in transforming this tool into an assistant that supports our efforts without replacing us.
What we haven’t explored yet: The guide is packed with other key topics that we invite you to discover to further your thinking.
- Environmental impact: The guide reminds us that every search query consumes energy and water. It encourages us to use digital technology more sparingly.
- Democratic issues: Beyond content generation, we need to understand the logic, origins and limitations of these technologies.
- Data protection: The guide provides insights into the legal framework and how to protect pupils’ privacy.
- The Executive Summary: Practical guides for teachers and educational leaders to take action and rethink teaching methods.
Final thoughts: The future of education and the creative industries does not lie in mass production, but in our ability to remain wholeheartedly committed. Creating and teaching with AI means learning to engage with a tool whilst remaining the sole arbiter of meaning. On this basis, technology will serve humanity, and not the other way round.
We strongly encourage you to download and browse this “Short practical guide to educational AI in Hauts-de-France” so that you, too, can develop your own approach.
Chris Delepierre, President of EdTech Hauts-de-France
