Global Education Leaders Chart AI Course at Singapore Summit

SINGAPORE – April 29, 2026 – In a landmark gathering, some of the world's most distinguished academic minds convened in Singapore to address one of the most disruptive forces facing modern education: artificial intelligence. Hosted by the global education group Education in Motion (EiM), the inaugural summit of its Education Advisory Board brought together former presidents of Yale, Oxford, and New York University, alongside leading AI in education authority Professor Emerita Rose Luckin, to move beyond the hype and chart a deliberate, evidence-based course for AI's integration into international schools.

The two-day summit, held on April 27-28 at Dulwich College (Singapore), was not designed to produce a simple list of AI solutions. Instead, it aimed to equip the 40 assembled school heads and educational experts from EiM's global network—which includes Dulwich College International, Green School International, and Sherfield School—with the critical thinking tools necessary to navigate a landscape saturated with both promise and peril.

The event unfolded within 'The Greenhouse,' the school's new seven-storey, net-zero energy building, a fitting backdrop of sustainable innovation for a discussion centered on shaping a responsible future. The core mission was clear: build the capacity of leaders to think clearly and act wisely.

A Deliberate Strategy, Not a Reaction

This summit represents a pivotal moment in EiM's group-wide AI strategy, an initiative formally launched in January 2026 in partnership with Professor Luckin. Rather than reacting to technological trends, the organization is proactively building what it calls an "operational roadmap with guardrails" for the ethical and effective use of AI.

The high-powered Education Advisory Board (EAB), launched in September 2025, is central to this strategy. It is co-chaired by Richard Levin, former president of Yale University and CEO of Coursera, and Lesley Meyer, EiM's Chief Education Officer. For them, this summit was a declaration of intent.

"The question for education is not whether to engage with AI, but how — and that requires the kind of careful, evidence-based thinking that has always distinguished truly outstanding schools," said Richard Levin. "This summit is an opportunity to model that thinking, and to ensure that EiM's schools lead rather than simply follow."

Professor Luckin, who led a half-day workshop on how Large Language Models (LLMs) function in an educational context, echoed this sentiment. She stressed the importance of empowering educators to cut through the marketing buzz that often surrounds new technologies.

"School leaders are being asked to make important decisions about the role of AI within their institutions faced with both incomplete information about their benefits yet high hopes about the promise of these new technologies," Professor Luckin stated. "The goal of this summit is not to tell them what to think, but to give them the tools to think clearly — to distinguish genuine evidence from commercial noise, and to make decisions that will serve their students well not just for this year, but for the decade to come."

From Theory to Classroom Practice

While the summit focused on high-level thinking, EiM's strategy is deeply rooted in practical application. The group's initiative includes developing a scalable AI framework, a research-based playbook for teachers, and school-based pilot programs to rigorously evaluate what works. The overarching philosophy is human-centric, viewing AI as a tool to augment, not replace, the essential role of the teacher.

Lesley Meyer emphasized that the goal is to strengthen uniquely human skills. "When we launched the Education Advisory Board, we made a commitment to convene the world's best thinkers around the questions that matter most for education," she said. "Bringing this Board to Singapore for our first summit — focused on AI, the defining challenge of this moment in education — is a statement of our intent to shape this important conversation."

This approach is already taking shape within the network. At Dulwich College Shanghai Pudong, for instance, teachers in the Junior School use AI-powered tools like Microsoft's Reading Progress to analyze student fluency and pronunciation. This automates a time-consuming task, freeing up educators to provide targeted, one-on-one coaching and focus on building deeper mentoring relationships with their students. The technology serves the pedagogy, allowing teachers to become, as one school leader put it, "more human."

The Global Race for AI in Education

EiM's deliberate and methodical approach is unfolding amidst a fiercely competitive global education landscape where major school groups are racing to define their AI strategies. This summit positions EiM as a thoughtful leader in a sector grappling with rapid, and at times, chaotic change.

Competitors are also making significant moves. Nord Anglia Education, which also collaborates with Professor Luckin, is focused on using AI to foster metacognition, or helping students understand how they learn. The Cognita school group has launched "Cognita AI," a proprietary platform developed with the AI tool Flint to personalize learning across its global network. Meanwhile, the International Schools Partnership (ISP) has established "LabSchools" to pilot new technologies and has already provided AI training to over 90% of its teachers.

This industry-wide push highlights the dual pressures of opportunity and risk. While AI promises personalized learning and administrative efficiency, concerns about plagiarism, data privacy, and the potential erosion of critical thinking skills are paramount. By assembling its EAB and emphasizing an evidence-first mindset, EiM is signaling its commitment to navigating these challenges with academic rigor rather than simply joining the technological arms race.

An Alliance with a Forward-Thinking Nation

The decision to host this critical summit in Singapore was highly strategic. The city-state is not just a hub for technology and finance but also a global leader in educational innovation with a sophisticated national AI policy. Singapore's "National AI Strategy 2.0" and the Ministry of Education's "EdTech Masterplan 2030" provide a clear governmental framework for integrating technology into learning.

Crucially, Singapore's own approach to AI in schools mirrors the cautious, evidence-based philosophy championed by EiM. The Ministry of Education employs a careful, phased rollout, withholding most AI tools from younger primary students to protect foundational skill development while gradually introducing them under teacher supervision in later years. This focus on "pedagogical guardrails" and preventing "cognitive outsourcing" aligns perfectly with the principles discussed at the EiM summit.

By convening in Singapore, EiM not only placed itself at the heart of a dynamic technological ecosystem but also aligned its educational philosophy with that of a nation renowned for its long-term, strategic planning. The summit, therefore, was more than a meeting; it was a powerful synergy of a forward-thinking education group and a nation actively building the future of learning.