The AI skills divide in Europe and Central Asia: Who benefits and who gets left behind Ciro AvitabileCristóbal CoboRita AlmeidaAlberto Munoz-Najar June 23, 2026 This page in: English

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/education/ai-skills-divide-in-europe-central-asia-who-benefits As generative artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly enters classrooms across the Balkans and Türkiye, the policy conversation often focuses on tools—chatbots, adaptive platforms, automated grading systems. Yet, emerging evidence from the World Bank-led Education AI Readiness Assessment — deployed in a first set of countries in Europe and Central Asia (ECA)--Bulgaria, Romania, and Türkiye — points to a more fundamental insight: The future of AI in education will be shaped less by access to technology and more by how education systems build the right skills to use it. At its core, AI is not skill-neutral. It rewards those who can use it critically and responsibly, and risks widening gaps for those who cannot.