On 23 January 2026, a distinguished delegation of researchers from Germany, led by Vice-President Sebastian Pokutta from Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB), and Research Group Lead Jennifer Haase from the Weizenbaum Institute, visited AICET. This visit provided a meaningful platform for both institutions to broaden their “Future Education” indicators and redefine their strategic direction by benchmarking advanced AI pedagogical models and exploring the future of human-AI collaboration.
Bridging History and Human-Centric AI Integration
Prof. Ben Leong opened the session by reviewing the educational shifts following the COVID-19 pandemic and providing an overview of AICET’s journey from 2021 to 2025. Drawing on Singapore’s experience as a nation pioneering the integration of AI into its education system, he shared critical insights into the efficiency and effectiveness of AI utilization in schools.
He addressed the growing concerns and worries regarding the current digital tools and technologies in education. Prof. Ben Leong then offered a crucial perspective, stating that while “Tech problems are easy. The hard problems are the people problems,” he strongly reinforced the belief that teachers must always remain at the center of educational progress.
German Innovation: The FACET Project for Teacher Empowerment
The Berlin team presented their FACET (Framework for Agent-based Classroom Enhancement) project, focusing on empowering teachers through intelligent automation. The system features an AI-driven Worksheet Generator that creates tasks tailored to various student profiles—such as “High-Flyers” or those requiring more support—ensuring an optimal level of challenge for every learner. It also includes an Intelligent Classroom Management dashboard for monitoring students’ psychological and academic traits to provide targeted support. Furthermore, the team demonstrated Optimization in Practice, showing how AI can generate complex, logical application tasks to effectively stimulate critical thinking in the classroom.
A Shared Vision for the Future
The visit underscored a shared vision between Prof. Ben Leong and the German researchers: AI should not replace the educator but should instead serve as an agile partner to enhance human capabilities. By combining AICET’s practical pedagogical integration with Berlin’s advanced optimization frameworks, both teams are paving the way for a more personalized and effective global educational ecosystem.
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