How to Cultivate Youth Thinking Skills in the AI Era

As artificial intelligence reshapes classrooms and homework routines worldwide, a pressing question has emerged: how do we cultivate thinking skills that surpass what AI can do? At the 2026 World Digital Education Conference (WDEC) held in Hangzhou, China, from May 11–13, education experts from 65 countries gathered to confront this challenge head-on, exploring strategies for developing critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving abilities in young people amid the rapid advancement of AI technologies.

A Conference of Unprecedented Scale

Themed “AI+ Education: Transformation, Development and Governance,” this year’s WDEC was the largest and most internationally engaged edition to date, drawing more than 850 guests including over 500 international participants. Chinese Vice President Han Zheng addressed the opening ceremony, while Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng delivered a keynote speech titled “Transforming and Advancing Education in the Age of Intelligence.” The conference also saw the release of eight major outcomes, including the Global Digital Education Development Index (GDEI) 2026 and the AI Education Ethics Reference Framework, as CCTV News reported.

The Core Challenge: Beyond Cognitive Outsourcing

One of the most striking data points to emerge from the conference came from a survey by the Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences: 85.6% of primary and secondary school students have used AI to complete homework. A US study cited at the conference found that 80% of students who used AI to write essays could not remember what they wrote.

Andreas Schleicher, Head of the OECD Education and Skills Directorate, sounded a clear warning. “AI tools improved test scores, but did not improve learning ability,” he said. “This reveals a risk: if technology is used improperly, it may weaken students’ ability to think deeply and explore independently.”

Experts identified several related risks: the “fluency trap,” where students become satisfied with AI-generated fluent answers and reduce their own thinking effort; “cognitive outsourcing,” where thinking is delegated to machines; and “capacity suspension,” the gap between AI’s opportunities and individuals’ ability to effectively use them.

Intrinsic Drive: The Human Advantage

Li Yongzhi, President of the Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences, argued that the key to “surpassing” AI lies in what he called “intrinsic drive.” “A person, as a carbon-based life form, needs to eat and survive — intrinsic drive naturally emerges,” Li explained. “But a machine won’t; all its power comes from pre-injected rules and instructions.”

This intrinsic motivation — rooted in interest, confidence, meaning, and social-emotional needs — was identified as the fundamental difference between humans and machines. The conference emphasized that education must pivot from knowledge transmission to cultivating what AI cannot replicate: critical thinking, creativity, empathy, ethical judgment, and intrinsic motivation.

Global Recognition of the Shift

The GDEI 2026, released at the conference, covered 82 countries and for the first time included “cultivation of thinking skills beyond AI” as a research dimension. The findings were striking: 78% of countries surveyed believe education should place greater emphasis on developing students’ higher-order thinking skills in the AI era, while 76% have set goals for cultivating students’ thinking abilities. The index found that the US, China, South Korea, and Finland have entered the “AI+Education” new stage, as China Daily reported.

Education with Warmth

Huang Changqin, Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Education Technology and Applications, introduced the concept of “education with warmth” — an approach emphasizing positive value guidance, emotional connection, and cultural identity. “This is precisely the domain that cold algorithms find difficult to reach,” he said.

Zhu Xinyu, Deputy Director of the Institute of Educational Statistics and Analysis at the Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences, framed the challenge in broader terms: “In the AI era, we must not only cultivate students’ ability to apply technology, but also cultivate ‘wisdom that transcends technology,’ which includes how to coexist with AI, how to ensure technology serves good, and how to realize the unique value of humans.”

Practical Solutions and Ethical Frameworks

The conference was not merely diagnostic — it offered concrete pathways forward. Zhejiang Province was highlighted as a model, having built an AI general education system spanning all educational stages, achieving full coverage of AI general education courses for first-year university students. The province also released a teacher AI literacy framework and launched specialized training programs.

Zhu Hongping, President of the Zhejiang Academy of Educational Sciences, noted that the teacher’s role has been strengthened, not diminished. “In this era, the teacher’s role as leader has not been overturned — on the contrary, it has been strengthened and enriched.”

On the governance front, the conference released the AI Education Ethics Reference Framework, which categorizes AI applications into three tiers: prohibited, limited use, and encouraged use. UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany, who attended the conference, emphasized the need for ethical safeguards. “We must focus on the ethical safety of AI usage to prevent any harm to education,” he said, as CGTN reported.

China also reached intergovernmental agreements on AI cooperation in education with countries including Uzbekistan and Brazil, and launched a Global AI Education Service Platform accessible in around 220 countries and regions.

What’s Next

The conference made clear that the integration of AI and education is not a distant future — it is already here. The key question is not whether to use AI in education, but how. As one participant summarized: AI should become a “scaffolding for thinking, not a crutch that replaces it.” The challenge ahead lies in translating this consensus into classroom practice, teacher training, and policy frameworks worldwide.

With the next WDEC already on the horizon, the global conversation about cultivating thinking skills that surpass AI is only just beginning.