UNESCO ran a hands-on training during Digital Learning Week 2026 for policymakers, educators and innovators from more than 20 countries on how to design AI products for education, the organization said on Oct. 2.

The training made two arguments.

Start with the problem. "Start with defining the problem, not the algorithm," UNESCO wrote. "Naming the problem first makes clear where AI complements other non-technological interventions rather than replacing them."

Do ethics early. "Ethical review works best before a system is built, not after," UNESCO wrote. It described ethics as "a key design element rather than a compliance checkpoint," using its Ethical Impact Assessment methodology.

Why it matters for buyers

For schools buying AI, the same discipline applies in reverse. Before evaluating a product, write down the problem it is meant to solve and what a non-AI solution would look like. If a vendor can't explain how its tool addresses that problem better, the demo doesn't matter.

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