Colombia is not just watching the artificial intelligence boom from the sidelines. In October 2025, the country hosted UNESCO’s Global Media and Information Literacy Week feature conference, turning Cartagena into the place where the world talked about education, AI, and digital ethics.
Instead of asking “is AI good or bad,” Colombia chose a better question: How can schools teach children and teachers to think before they click, chat with a bot, or share their data? That idea guided the theme “Think Before AI 2025.”
Colombia hosted UNESCO’s ‘Think Before AI 2025’
The UNESCO Global Media and Information Literacy Week feature conference, held on October 23 and 24 at the Hilton Cartagena, brought together governments, experts, educators, media, tech companies, and young people from several regions.
The goal was simple to explain, but hard to apply: Help new generations understand how information, social medias, and AI systems work so they can ask better questions and avoid being misled by content or automated tools.
With this event, Colombia positioned itself as a hub for global debate on the ethical use of artificial intelligence and the importance of media and information literacy for all.
What Computadores para Educar brought to the global stage
Computadores para Educar, a public program that equips schools and trains teachers, played a central role in Cartagena. For years, it has taken devices, connectivity, and digital training to rural and urban public schools.
During the 2025 conference, director Oscar Sanchez acted as a spokesperson for inclusive digital education, sharing the program’s teacher training model with AI and the impact of classroom projects designed by Colombian educators.
This model treats teachers as leaders, not passive users of apps. They test AI tools, integrate them into classroom projects, and also talk with students about risks, ethics, and critical thinking.
‘El Dia de la IA en tu Colegio,’ thousands already thinking about AI
Colombia’s leadership at the conference had a strong base at home. On Oct. 2, the country held “El Dia de la IA en tu Colegio” (The AI Day at Your School), a national activity promoted by Computadores para Educar.
At least 3,000 school campuses took part, 2,000 teachers received AI training, and more than 18,000 students answered a survey on how they use AI tools in their daily lives.
During that day, schools carried out simple AI activities, such as asking a chatbot to help with a project and then checking its answers, or debating how recommendation systems shape the videos, music, and news they see.
The aim was not to “sell” technology, but to help students see that AI can support learning while also making mistakes, reflecting bias, or handling personal data in ways they should understand and question.
Why AI in education needs ethics and critical thinking
UNESCO reminds countries that AI in education is powerful, but not neutral. It can support personalized learning and new classroom activities, but it also brings risks in areas such as privacy, equality, and cultural diversity.
Colombia’s approach, shown in Cartagena, links AI with a broader digital citizenship agenda. Students and teachers are invited to ask who designed a tool, what data it uses, and how it might treat different people.
Programs such as STEM and science interest centers, digital literacy projects, and teacher training connect AI with science, arts, and social skills, so technology is seen as one more instrument to understand the world, not as an automatic boss.
International reports and UNESCO statements have started to highlight this mix of ethics, rights, and innovation, and Colombia is now seen as a regional reference in human‑centered AI and digital education.
A message from Cartagena to classrooms
When Colombia hosted UNESCO’s “Think Before AI 2025” conference in Cartagena, it sent a clear message: AI belongs in schools, but always together with ethics, critical thinking, and inclusion.
With thousands of schools already talking about AI in class, and teachers leading experiments and conversations, the country shows that the best way to face new technology is not fear, but education with clear values, curious minds, and strong public policy behind it.