{"id":12812,"date":"2026-08-18T10:16:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T08:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/?p=12812"},"modified":"2026-10-02T16:39:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T14:39:04","slug":"training-for-the-age-of-ai-universities-in-transition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/training-for-the-age-of-ai-universities-in-transition\/","title":{"rendered":"Training for the age of AI: universities in transition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This article is from a ctrl +, the flagship newsletter of the Grand Challenges:<\/em> &#8216;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/enseignement-ia-plus-qu%C3%A0-apprendre-imt-france-eimle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enseignement : IA plus qu&#8217;\u00e0 apprendre !<\/a>&#8216; (Education: AI is more than just learning!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI: What\u2019s the point of learning?*<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One might think that the massive arrival of generative AI constitutes a technological breakthrough. At the level of higher education and research, it mainly reveals a pedagogical rupture. In a few years, tools capable of producing text, explanations, or revision plans have overturned practices that have long been based on the reproduction of knowledge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And usage patterns confirm this shift. The recent survey conducted by the Conference of Grandes \u00c9coles (2025) shows how deeply AI has become embedded in the daily lives of educational institutions: 75% of students report regularly using AI tools, while 48% of teachers still limit their use to occasional practices, or even none at all. Meanwhile, general directors report 62% regular usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What is the value of a school assignment if we can no longer tell the difference between a student\u2019s writing and that of a machine? Should we ban, restrict, or circumvent it? Or should we seize the opportunity to re-examine the essentials: what are we actually evaluating?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These questions reflect a deeper reality: <strong>an urgent need to adapt our practices, our benchmarks, and our pedagogical reflexes. Again.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because humanity did not wait for the arrival of AI to fear the consequences of new technologies: from the invention of the printing press to that of the calculator, all educational revolutions (re)introduce <strong>the risk of confusing access to information with the development of the mind<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is clear that <strong>these tools have not eliminated learning, but have transformed it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We are now seeing a rapid adoption of AI tools in schools. The challenge today is to structure this dynamic by providing more sovereign and more frugal tools, training, and, above all, giving meaning to their use.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/lucie-jacquet-malo-for-le-grand-jt-de-l-education\/\">Artificial intelligence and education: Lucie Jacquet-Malo in Le Grand JT de l\u2019\u00c9ducation<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\"  id=\"_ytid_30422\"  width=\"800\" height=\"450\"  data-origwidth=\"800\" data-origheight=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/27aVE98UNdw?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=1&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__  epyt-is-override  no-lazyload\" title=\"YouTube player\"  allow=\"fullscreen; accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen data-no-lazy=\"1\" data-skipgform_ajax_framebjll=\"\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>*<a href=\"https:\/\/le1hebdo.fr\/journal\/numeros\/558\/a-quoi-bon-apprendre\/socit-ducation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read in French: &#8216;\u00c0 quoi bon apprendre ?&#8217;, Le 1 hebdo, N\u00b0 558, 27 ao\u00fbt 2025<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI for \u2018augmented\u2019 learning?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AI in education is not just about putting tools in the hands of students: it is transforming the way we learn, teach and assess. Research conducted in 2022 had already identified three key uses: supporting the learner, \u2018augmenting\u2019 the teacher and informing decision-making with data. <strong>Three entry points that paint AI neither as a threat nor as a magic wand, but as a lever for rethinking practices<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Used intentionally, AI frees up time for the tasks where humans really count. A McKinsey study of 2,000 teachers in four countries (Canada, Singapore, the United States and the United Kingdom) shows that generative AI can reduce their workload by 20 to 40%. This time saving is only worthwhile if it is reinvested in areas where humans provide irreplaceable value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>AI is therefore not a shortcut in education. It is a revealer: it forces institutions to clarify their priorities, expectations and vision of learning and teaching.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A double-edged sword: understanding the AI divide<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The digital divide is not a new issue: many studies have shown how unequal access to tools and training has widened the gap for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The massive arrival of generative AI for the general public has not only exacerbated this phenomenon, but has also created a new one. The \u2018AI divide,\u2019 theorised by Warschauer et al. in 2023, refers to the gap between those who know how to understand, question, evaluate, and verify an AI-generated response and those who do not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Teachers are also affected<\/strong>: many have never connected to a generative AI, either by choice or out of fear, although the situation is changing rapidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This divide is not just about a lack of equipment. It also involves a set of new skills: formulating a query, interpreting a response, verifying a source, exercising critical thinking. And these skills are far from being mastered uniformly. Between those who are experimenting and those who prefer to proceed cautiously, between those who are accompanied and those who are on their own, and between institutions that are already engaged and those that are still observing, the gaps can widen if we do not collectively take steps to prevent this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Like many tools before it, AI is changing the game. What is not changing, however, is that we do not all start with the same hand.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/partnerships-with-mistral-ai-the-ilaas-federation-label-ekitia\/\">IA: IMT accelerates its momentum through partnerships with Mistral AI, the ILaaS federation and the Ekitia label<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color\" style=\"border-color:#00b8de;border-width:3px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:0;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-c7da7e43 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SOVEREIGNTY ISSUES<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As AI becomes more prevalent in our professional practices, the issue of sovereignty is coming to the forefront: who do we entrust our data, our practices, and our dependencies to? In an ecosystem where nothing is neutral, understanding who controls AI is becoming a strategic and ethical imperative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u2018We will never be 100% sovereign&#8230;\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the SMART TECH Great Interview on Monday, November 24th, Lucie Jacquet-Malo discusses the growing use of generative AI in universities, the risks associated with data, and advocates for more sovereign tools like Mistral. This French generative AI (cc Arthur Mensch, Alumni T\u00e9l\u00e9com Paris) offers genuine linguistic relevance, European hosting, better compliance with GDPR, and paves the way for a reduction in dependence on Big Tech.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to Delphine Sabattier, she emphasises that complete independence remains a challenge and that the key lies in a reasoned transformation of our practices.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learning in the age of abundance: shaping minds<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ironically, while technology demonstrates the power of reading, the 2025 barometer of the National Book Centre warns of a decline in the number of readers in France.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Generative AI is based on a simple principle<\/strong>: it learns by reading millions of texts. Every interaction, every update modifies its neural architecture and enriches this network of neurons that produces a form of thought. This mechanism is akin to perfectly, or almost perfectly, imitating the way our brain works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Learn more?<\/strong> Read I&#8217;MTech article: <a href=\"https:\/\/imtech.imt.fr\/2024\/09\/30\/quesaco-les-reseaux-de-neurones\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What are neural networks?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It must be reiterated: artificial intelligences have their limitations. They make mistakes, reproduce biases, omit information, simplify, and even tend towards \u2018model collapse\u2019 (or how AI models trained on data generated by other models eventually lose quality). Their apparent brilliance does not erase their flaws or our responsibility to use them wisely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without training, it is very likely to have an accident, or even to kill someone, but by learning to drive and respecting the rules, it is a great tool that offers a lot of possibilities. The problem is that generative AI does not yet have its own traffic code&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/christine-balagu%C3%A9-6759515\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Christine Balagu\u00e9<\/em><\/a><em>, professor of Management Science, expert in AI and management<\/em> at<em> <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/institut-mines-telecom-business-school\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Institut Mines-T\u00e9l\u00e9com Business School<\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Learn more? <\/strong>Read I&#8217;MTech article: <a href=\"https:\/\/imtech.imt.fr\/en\/2024\/10\/02\/behind-the-prompts-the-unsuspected-risks-of-generative-ai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><strong>Behind the prompts: the unsuspected risks of generative AI<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Masterclass:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is reading, the very reading that feeds the AI, that is best suited to create these fruitful connections, which make possible\u2026 further learning. The effort is never wasted, on the contrary.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The abundance of information does not exempt us from learning: it makes learning more essential than ever. The more sophisticated the tools become, the more we need human skills: structuring, analysing, questioning, connecting, creating.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AI should not capture the educational gesture. It should help us to strengthen it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Overcoming the fracture<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To bridge the gap, tools and frameworks already exist:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Sherbrooke University\u2019s usage grid, which clarifies expectations;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>online resource spaces such as the one designed by Jeff Van De Poel to better evaluate with AI;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>interactive learning platforms such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wooflash.com\/fr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.wooflash.com\/fr\/<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nolej.io\/fr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.nolej.io\/fr<\/a>;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>the AI Act, which reminds us that education is a high-risk sector and requires human oversight;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>and, above all, training in digital literacy, intellectual honesty, and discernment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Learn more?<\/strong> Read I&#8217;MTech article: <a href=\"https:\/\/imtech.imt.fr\/en\/2025\/03\/04\/the-ai-act-makes-an-entrance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em><strong>The AI Act makes an entrance<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But to overcome it and have AI help us achieve \u2018augmented\u2019 learning, <strong>four levers are essential<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Frame<\/strong>: set a clear, explicit, assumed framework: what is allowed, what is not, what must be reported. Restore confidence and visibility.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Train<\/strong>: train teachers systematically. Train students from the first year. Provide the keys to discernment, not just the keys to the tool.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Equip<\/strong>: use platforms that free up time for human support. Design interactive educational resources. Promote reasoned, integrated uses in learning sequences.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cultivate a common culture of AI<\/strong>: no knee-jerk rejection, no naive enthusiasm. A nuanced approach: use AI as one pedagogical modality among others, not as a magic solution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Generative AI: awareness, experimentation, anticipation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On 14 and 21 October 2025, IMT launched the <strong>first generative AI training sessions<\/strong> on its Palaiseau campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The aim was to provide staff with a common culture of AI, explore its uses, limits and potential, while laying the foundations for a sovereign, ethical and effective strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The agenda included an introduction to prompt engineering for formulating effective requests, discovering AI tools adapted to business needs, with a focus on Mistral, creating intelligent agents to automate certain business tasks, and discovering new ways of collaborating with AI using tools such as COMET, Perplexity\u2019s AI browser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As a follow-up, the annual internal TANGENTE 2025 seminar continued the momentum by linking training, feedback and reflection on the impact of AI in the workplace and in education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the question of meaning and ethical guidelines to practical application (pedagogy, support functions, data sovereignty, accessibility), IMT is equipping its teams to make AI a useful and responsible tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color\" style=\"border-color:#00b8de;border-width:3px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-bottom:0;padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-ed73dd96 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As artificial intelligence is transforming our relationship with information, it is also increasingly scrutinised for its environmental impact. Does reducing the carbon footprint of AI models necessarily mean sacrificing performance?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not necessarily. EURECOM, a subsidiary school of the IMT, demonstrates this by winning a competition to develop a frugal AI to combat climate disinformation.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Giving a voice to those most concerned<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>2025 CGE survey highlights<\/strong> a strong expectation: 88% of teachers and 82% of students want their institution to invest more in training and resources related to AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How can we imagine the future of education without those who live it every day?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is precisely the challenge of the Grand Challenge Student, led by Inria as part of the Global Partnership on AI: to involve students in the governance of AI. Over several months, they will analyse real-world uses, formulate pedagogical and policy recommendations, and present their findings on an international scale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The goal: to build an enlightened, inclusive and ambitious educational transition<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>MACMIA :<\/strong> <strong>massify AI skills<\/strong>. In the same spirit of openness and collective ownership, IMT is deploying the MACMIA programme, supported by France 2030. Its ambition is to massify AI skills in higher education, moving AI from the status of expertise reserved for a select few to that of a pedagogical and professional tool for everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By linking AI to the concrete realities of various professions \u2013 industry, services, healthcare, digital \u2013 MACMIA contributes to anchoring this transformation in everyday practices, training and usage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is a dynamic to watch closely to discover the actions, experiments and real-world feedback that are shaping the AI education and skills of tomorrow!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An instrument of empowerment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Training for the age of AI is neither about blindly following technology nor keeping it at arm\u2019s length. It\u2019s about rediscovering the essence of the educational gesture, adapting it to a world where information moves faster than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If AI is changing the game, it\u2019s not changing the fundamentals: learning is based on relationships, effort, doubt, curiosity \u2013 all things that machines don\u2019t master.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The transition we\u2019re undergoing is neither simple nor linear. It requires leadership, training, responsible tools, a shared culture, collective commitment\u2026 and above all, time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>AI is not replacing education. It\u2019s giving us the opportunity to strengthen it \u2013 and to make it, more than ever, a driver of emancipation.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article is from a ctrl +, the flagship newsletter of the Grand Challenges: &#8216;Enseignement : IA plus qu&#8217;\u00e0 apprendre !&#8216; (Education: AI is more than just learning!) AI: What\u2019s the point of learning?* One might think that the massive arrival of generative AI constitutes a technological breakthrough. At the level of higher education and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12492,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[230,246],"class_list":["post-12812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-formation-en","tag-ia-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12812","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12812"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12812\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12814,"href":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12812\/revisions\/12814"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12812"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12812"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.imt.fr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12812"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}