Research by Vodafone has revealed an AI skills gap in European schools.

The skills gap was revealed by global charity Vodafone Foundation in a study on the growing role of AI in education. The report found that 27% of children felt left behind when it came to using AI at school, with those from lower income families more at risk from the AI skills gap than their wealthier peers.

The research suggests a digital skills shortage among teachers and a lack of focus on AI in schools or education policy are causing the skills gap. Most children surveyed (74%) believe AI would play a significant role in their professional lives, but less than half felt adequately prepared by their schools to engage with this technology.

Ipsos surveyed 7000 children aged 12 to 17 across seven European countries, the results suggesting the integration of AI and digital tools in schools is now at a tipping point. The report confirms that AI’s immense potential while broadly recognised by the education sector is not yet fully or fairly resourced in classrooms, with key findings indicating inequalities in access to AI connectivity and tools for those from low-income families, and a shortage of AI skills, content and guidance across the European education sector.

Children are concerned about unfairness and inequality AI could drive but are optimistic about the innovative approaches to learning the technology will enable.

“Our research suggests that a new AI skills gap is emerging that could further widen digital skills inequalities, particularly for children from lower-income families,” said Joakim Reiter, chief external and corporate affairs director of Vodafone. “For Europe to fully take advantage of the potential of AI, the education sector and policymakers need to ensure this new technology is part of the curriculum for all children, regardless of economic status or geography.”

The research found low levels of access to internet connectivity and digital tools were a problem for many schools. Of the 7000 children surveyed, 59% lacked access to digital devices and 51% reported insufficient internet connectivity.

The problem was especially notable for those on lower incomes with 67% lacking access to digital devices and 61% struggling to get online in the classroom; for wealthier peers, only 51% lacked access to devices and 46% struggled with online access at school.

Of the low-income children interviewed less than 10% were familiar with the term AI and only 38% knew how to use AI to improve academic performance. This, compared with 30% of wealthier children being AI aware and 76% confident in using the technology to enhance their schoolwork.

Nearly three-quarters of all children surveyed (74%) believe AI will play a significant role in their professional lives, but less than half felt adequately prepared by their schools to engage with this technology. Worse still, only 44% of children thought their teachers were competent in AI usage with more stating they learnt about AI from their peers (65%) than from teachers (55%).

The fact that less than half of schools had an AI usage policy in place and 16% of children said their schools prohibited the use of AI completely, is perhaps compounding the problem further.

Students expressed a mix of optimism and concern about AI, with 55% believing the technology has the potential to make grading fairer, but 46% feared it might lead to discrimination. And 49% were worried AI could also widen gaps in academic success.

But there was also a sense of opportunity in the way AI might influence innovation in education. Many students saw AI as having the potential to enhance their academic performance (52%) and address societal challenges (37%).

As part of the Vodafone Foundation’s commitment to its connecting for good strategy, the charity runs the Skills Upload Jr programme, partnering with governments, schools and children in nine countries across Europe, ensuring a holistic approach to digital education.

“While students increasingly recognise that AI is an essential part of their futures, a lack of digital skills and preparedness by schools and teachers across Europe is holding many of them back,” said Vodafone Foundation managing director Lisa Felton. “That’s why Vodafone Foundation’s Skills Upload Jr programme is rolling out new lesson plans on AI across Europe during 2025, building on our existing digital skills programme.”

Building on this experience, the Vodafone Foundation (www.vodafone.com/vodafone-foundation) believes a more inclusive, prepared and equitable approach is needed to integrate AI into education. It is calling on policymakers, educators and technology providers to empower students to embrace AI as a tool for learning and future success, while developing ethical AI practices to address concerns about safety, bias and inequality.

The research was conducted by Ipsos between September and November 2024. A total of 7000 children were surveyed, across Germany, UK, Greece, Portugal, Romania, Spain and Türkiye. The Czech Republic also participated in a parallel study in January 2025.

More on the study – “The Growing Role of AI in Education” – can be found at skillsuploadjr.eu/thoughtleadership.