Artificial intelligence

What seemed like science fiction just a few years ago is now a click away for every student in Quebec. In seconds, a student can generate an argumentative essay, solve a complex problem, or rewrite a text to fit specific criteria. These technologies are transforming not only how students learn, but also what we expect from them.

Faced with this shift, Quebec’s education system appears ill-prepared — caught between the urge to ban these tools and the inability to properly regulate their use.

But should we really see this new reality as a threat? Or rather, as a unique opportunity to learn better, faster, and smarter?

A striking example comes from abroad. In China, major AI providers such as DeepSeek and Alibaba Qwen decided in the spring of 2025 to temporarily shut down their services during national exams. In some cases, they not only suspended access to chatbots but also deactivated image-recognition and question-answering features.

The move aimed to prevent large-scale cheating and to protect the integrity of the country’s examination process — a cornerstone of Chinese society. This shows just how profoundly AI tools can affect the very heart of the educational experience: assessment.

Wouldn’t such a measure make sense here, too?

A System Still Unprepared

Meanwhile, here at home, our universities and colleges remain largely defenseless against this technological wave. Teachers have no standardized tools to detect AI-generated work, and institutional policies can’t keep up with the pace of change.

The result? Confusion, inequality, and often… silence. Some educators choose to trust their students, others try to ban AI outright, while many simply feel powerless — unsure how to respond to such a deep paradigm shift.

Believing we can ban or block generative AI is to deny reality. The evolution is already underway — irreversible and exponential. This is no longer a technological choice but a pedagogical one.

Schools must adapt to a world where information is instantly accessible, analyzable, and transformable. Banning AI in classrooms is like banning calculators in the 1980s — not only ineffective but counterproductive. Instead of forbidding the tool, we must learn to use it wisely. Like any technology, AI is neither good nor bad in itself — it all depends on how we use it.

Three Axes of Change

To respond effectively, Quebec must undergo a profound transformation of its educational approach. In my view, three key initiatives should begin right away — each requiring modernization and a cultural shift within our institutions.

1. Rethink Assessment Methods

AI has rendered many traditional forms of assessment obsolete. It’s time to prioritize more human, nuanced, and contextualized approaches. Oral exams verify true understanding, hands-on projects encourage practical application, and comparisons between human and AI-generated work foster critical thinking.

We could even go further: ask students to explain why an AI-generated answer is inaccurate or incomplete, and how they would improve it.

2. Equip Teachers Now

The Ministry of Education and schools must offer ongoing training on AI’s uses, limits, risks, and educational potential. These sessions should be practical and accessible — with adapted grading rubrics, examples of best practices, and spaces for teachers to share experiences.

We also need a culture of experimentation: let teachers try, make mistakes, and learn together.

3. Encourage Pedagogical Innovation

AI can be an extraordinary lever to make school more engaging, adaptive, and inclusive. Personalized AI tutors can support struggling students, co-writing platforms can foster human–machine collaboration, and conversation simulators can develop oral and social skills.

AI assistants can also support students with special needs. These aren’t futuristic ideas — they’re tools already being explored by leading institutions like MIT and Stanford.

Rethinking Education in the Age of AI

In this context, it’s clear that AI shouldn’t be seen as a threat but as an opportunity to redefine what it means to learn in the 21st century.

Our goal should no longer be to produce students who “know everything,” but young people capable of navigating complexity, thinking critically, and adapting to constant change.

Education must now focus on:

• The ability to ask the right questions;
• Critical judgment toward AI-generated answers;
• Creativity, curiosity, and collaboration — deeply human skills.

Quebec’s education system can no longer rely on half-measures. It must embrace this shift, train its actors, rethink its tools, and above all, show vision. This is a historic opportunity to reinvent schooling — not based on what it has been, but on what it can become: a system that doesn’t just produce graduates, but citizens capable of coexisting with AI, improving it, and using it responsibly.

So no, AI is not the end of education. It may very well be its rebirth — if we have the collective courage to rethink our methods, our expectations, and our very definition of what it means to learn in a world transforming before our eyes.