In the year 2030, two 10-year-olds sit down to learn. One opens a textbook, memorises facts for an exam and waits for the class to move forward. The other logs into an AI-powered learning companion that understands her strengths, identifies her gaps, adapts lessons in real time and fuels her curiosity with projects linked to her passions.
Fast-forward 20 years: which of these students will lead, invent and tackle problems the world has yet to imagine?
This is not science fiction. It is the investment decision every nation must face today. The future will not be secured by pouring money into another chatbot, drone or data centre. The most powerful bet any country can make is to build an ecosystem for AI in education. The nations that master how humans and machines learn together will not only prepare their people for the challenges ahead but lead the pace for global progress in the century to come.
Today’s schools were built for the industrial age. Students sit in rows, follow rigid timetables and study from standardised textbooks, and the exams test how well they can recall information. This model once served its purpose: it prepared young people for predictable jobs in predictable hierarchies, where efficiency and uniformity were prized.
Today, we are witnessing the rapid erosion of these conditions. Routine work is being rapidly automated thanks to artificial intelligence and robots, knowledge is abundant thanks to machine learning, and the premium is now on creativity, adaptability and problem-solving. An education system designed for the factory floor cannot equip students for the challenges – or the opportunities – of the digital age.
In the age of artificial intelligence, machines are already outperforming humans in information recall, pattern recognition and soon even reasoning. The value of human work will no longer lie in memorisation, but in creativity, adaptability, judgment and vision. Without radical innovation in how we teach the young, we risk condemning millions to what the historian Yuval Noah Harari has called the “useless class” – people with skills easily replaced by machines.
The new school cannot continue to be just a building. The AI school is an ecosystem – a physical and digital space where learning adapts to each student in real time and supports learning for life. Imagine a classroom where AI quietly tracks each child’s progress. It notices who struggles with fractions, who races ahead in storytelling, who learns best by listening and who thrives by doing. It then adapts lessons instantly, personalises feedback and even detects when a child is losing focus.
In this model, AI does not replace teachers. Rather, it frees them. Algorithms handle routine tasks like grading, lesson plans and practice drills. Teachers become mentors, designers of experiences and guides for the profoundly human: curiosity, empathy, imagination and ethical reasoning. The best teachers of the future will co-teach with AI rather than competing with it. They will translate data into human understanding and help students develop what no algorithm can replicate: the ability to ask better questions, to weigh meaning and to make judgment calls in uncertain worlds.
Parents often ask: what skills should my child learn in the age of AI? The answer is not coding anymore. It is AI literacy – knowing how these systems work, where bias creeps in and how to collaborate with them wisely. It is prompting, questioning, validating.
A global race is already under way, and nations that understand this are moving fast
We used to dismiss these capabilities as “soft skills”, pushing them into extracurriculars and, worse yet, after-school activities. In truth, they are the hardest to automate and the most essential to civilisation: curiosity, creativity, adaptability, compassion and the ability to learn across disciplines. As Demis Hassabis of DeepMind once said: “Learning how to learn will be the defining skill of this century.”
Moreover, it never ends. The AI school doesn’t stop at graduation. It becomes a lifelong learning companion. Imagine an AI mentor that remembers how you learn, recommends new skills when your industry shifts and connects you with peers across the globe facing similar challenges.
This is already happening. Universities and companies are experimenting with “learning twins” – digital companions that track how you think and help you retrain. In 10 years, not having one may feel as strange as not having a smartphone today.
A global race is already under way, and nations that understand this are moving fast: Estonia has launched a national AI learning programme for teenagers, the UAE and Saudi Arabia have embedded AI into school curricula as part of Vision 2030 and some experimental schools in the US are replacing fixed classes with personalised AI learning journeys.
Every generation has one transformative investment. In the 20th century, it was electricity. In the early 2000s, it was the internet. In the 2020s, it is AI for education.
The industrial age of schooling is over. The age of intelligence has begun.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
Profile Periscope Media
Founder: Smeetha Ghosh, one co-founder (anonymous)
Launch year: 2020
Employees: four – plans to add another 10 by July 2021
Financing stage: $250,000 bootstrap funding, approaching VC firms this year
Investors: Co-founders
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Company%20profile
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Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Greatest Royal Rumble results
John Cena pinned Triple H in a singles match
Cedric Alexander retained the WWE Cruiserweight title against Kalisto
Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt win the Raw Tag Team titles against Cesaro and Sheamus
Jeff Hardy retained the United States title against Jinder Mahal
Bludgeon Brothers retain the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos
Seth Rollins retains the Intercontinental title against The Miz, Finn Balor and Samoa Joe
AJ Styles remains WWE World Heavyweight champion after he and Shinsuke Nakamura are both counted out
The Undertaker beats Rusev in a casket match
Brock Lesnar retains the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
Braun Strowman won the 50-man Royal Rumble by eliminating Big Cass last
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Arabian Gulf League fixtures:
Friday:
- Emirates v Hatta, 5.15pm
- Al Wahda v Al Dhafra, 5.25pm
- Al Ain v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, 8.15pm
Saturday:
- Dibba v Ajman, 5.15pm
- Sharjah v Al Wasl, 5.20pm
- Al Jazira v Al Nasr, 8.15pm
