Inclusive education through AI

Author: Ari Hautaniemi

In education and professional training, one truth is undeniable: people learn differently. Recognising this diversity is no longer a matter of preference but a cornerstone of inclusive, future-ready societies. International frameworks stress that inclusion means adapting teaching and assessment so that all learners, regardless of their background or abilities, have genuine opportunities to learn together (UNICEF 2024; Erilaisten oppijoiden liitto 2025; OECD 2023). Even though the theory of fixed learning styles is scientifically disapproved (e.g., Knoll et al. 2017; Khazan 2018), offering multiple learning methods can be beneficial for learning outcomes, especially when considering those with various learning difficulties or different language origins.

When these differences are respected, learning becomes an empowerment tool, enabling individuals to participate fully in innovation, growth, and social development, not to mention the sense of personal fulfillment. People process and retain information through various combinations of visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and textual learning (Erilaisten oppijoiden liitto 2025; Van der Schaaf 2019). Traditional education, however, often relies on one text, slides and lecture, which risks excluding those who engage best through doing, listening, or visualizing.

The reason might not be that educators are not willing to provide inclusive or tailored materials. The burdened teacher may lack time and capacity to create a learning experience that sufficiently addresses the varying needs of different students (Sahlman 2023; Kauppi et al. 2020).

AI as a Co-Designer

As digitalisation and the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates, new technologies provide unprecedented opportunities to address this imbalance.

At the New European Media (NEM) Summit 2025 in Berlin, researcher The-Anh Nguyen outlined how generative AI (Gen-AI) can become a co-designer of personalised learning environments. His keynote, Gen-AI in Education and Immersive Training, offered a glimpse into a future where AI and teachers collaborate to design courses that adjust dynamically to each learner.

Nguyen, a Research Associate at Fraunhofer FOKUS, develops adaptive and interoperable e-learning systems that personalise education using AI, analytics, VR/AR technologies and international learning standards (Fraunhofer FOKUS 2025).

According to Nguyen (2025), the process should begin with a self-evaluating survey co-created by educators and AI, in which the learner reflects on their preferred studying methods, potential restrictions, and motivational triggers. AI analyses the responses and generates a personalized, evidence-based and constantly evolving profile that reveals how each individual engages and learns best.

From there, AI helps the teacher in adapting the course content, delivery, and assessments to best match individual attributes. A student with visual-spatial strengths might be offered image-based explanations and simulations; someone who learns best through listening could receive narrated modules and voice-based exercises. Learners facing linguistic or sensory barriers could access simplified language, real-time captions, or audio descriptions. In every case, the goal is to create an equitable learning path that builds on strengths and compensates for limitations – not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Learning by Doing in VR

When AI-generated learning profiles are connected to a virtual or augmented reality environments, learners can experience personalised, adaptive simulations that feel tangible and immediate. For example, a student in a design course could enter a virtual workshop, manipulate 3D models, and receive feedback as they build prototypes. The AI monitors behaviour, detecting hesitation or mastery, and modifying the task difficulty or pacing accordingly, with the teacher observing the progress. (Nguyen 2025.)

Such immersion transforms the classroom into a virtual learning-by-doing environment. It also makes education more accessible to those struggling with abstract or text-based teaching. For neurodivergent learners, interacting spatially and receiving multimodal feedback can reduce anxiety and enhance focus (MXTReality 2025). Thus, combining AI and immersion may boost engagement, agency, and confidence (Nguyen 2025).

The novel personalised and immersive education model can also open new pathways for groups traditionally excluded from higher education or professional training, such as people with disabilities, working adults, or learners from diverse linguistic backgrounds. According to OECD (2023), inclusive education strengthens resilience, digital competence, and employability in a broader societal context.

The use of sophisticated technologies and AI as collaborators in course and assignment creation also allows teachers to focus on the quality of content, personalized feedback and guidance, and the sense of being heard – the things that students constantly value highly (Aalto-yliopisto 2025; Roivas 2024). If executed smartly, it also reduces the workload of teachers all while returning pedagogy at the core: AI should not be used to lower the criterion for a student to pass or to replace or bypass altogether the judgement of an education professional, but to provide the teacher new, flexible tools to enhance learning in situations where such help is beneficial.

References

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Author

Ari Hautaniemi works as an RDI Specialist at the LAB University of Applied Sciences Institute of Design. He is the project manager of CDG-Booster, an Interreg Central Baltic funded project promoting growth of creative companies using gamification, VR, AR and XR technologies.

Illustration: The-Anh Nguyen speaking at the NEM Summit 2025 in Berlin. (Image: Ari Hautaniemi)

Reference to this article

Hautaniemi, A. 2025. Inclusive education through AI. LAB Pro. Cited and date of citation. Available at https://www.labopen.fi/en/lab-pro/inclusive-education-through-ai/