What happens when classrooms become laboratories for artificial intelligence? As AI tools are increasingly integrated into schools, from lesson planning to student assessment, teachers and parents are grappling with the challenge of balancing innovation and safety.
In this conversation, I sit down with Jurgita Lapienytė, Editor-in-Chief at Cybernews, to explain how AI adoption in education is reshaping the learning, privacy, and security of our youngest digital citizens.
Jurgita brings a rare dual perspective as a technology journalist and as a mother. We explore how the growing influence of AI could improve access to knowledge while eroding fundamental cognitive skills if introduced too early or without balance. She compares today’s reliance on AI to the way GPS has changed navigation, useful but potentially disorienting if overused.
Together, we look at how schools can encourage analog learning before turning to technology shortcuts and why teacher training is crucial for building true tech readiness.
But beneath the excitement lies a darker reality. With 82 percent of K-12 schools affected by cyber incidents in the last 18 months, education is fast becoming one of the most targeted sectors. Jurgita explains how AI is evolving attacks from phishing to deepfakes and why schools should view data protection as an essential part of innovation and not an afterthought.
We discuss the growing risks surrounding student data, the ease with which even innocent photos can be misused, and why privacy policies need a complete rethink before more AI tools enter the classroom.
This episode isn’t about rejecting technology; it’s about using it responsibly. Jurgita’s insights remind us that the value of AI in education depends on how carefully it is implemented and how prepared we are to protect the people it is intended to serve.
What does a safe classroom really look like in the age of AI, and how can schools, policymakers and parents work together to create one? I would like to hear your opinion: how should we balance innovation and safety in our children’s digital future?
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