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AI Trends in EdTech to Watch in 2025
AI’s role in education is expanding rapidly, from personalized learning and physical security to cybersecurity and administrative insights.
Date of writing
January 10, 2025
Time of reading
2 minutes
The October 2024 release of the federal government’s AI integration toolkit, Empowering Education Leaders, highlights a cautious yet evolving approach to artificial intelligence in education, according to EdTech Magazine. While AI is becoming more prevalent in classrooms, administrators face challenges such as staffing and student mental health, leaving actionable AI guidance on the backburner. However, as educators explore AI's potential, several key trends are shaping its future in schools.
1. Guardrails Over Policies in Classrooms
The rapid evolution of AI makes comprehensive, tailored policies difficult to implement. Instead, schools are adopting flexible “guardrails” to guide safe and ethical AI use.
“A lot of schools are realizing this technology is a phenomenon spreading throughout society,” says Miguel Guhlin, Director of Professional Development at TCEA. “Because it’s spreading so fast, they can’t come up with hard-and-fast rules...so they set up guardrails instead to guide usage.”
Tseh-sien Kelly Vaughn, Interim Dean of the School of Education at Notre Dame de Namur University, echoes this sentiment: “Rather than thinking of an AI policy, it should be approached with guardrails or guidelines for schools to follow. These should include best teaching practices around how educators can critically use the tool…to enhance their higher-order thinking skills.”
2. Personalized Learning with AI
Early adopters of AI in classrooms are leveraging tools like custom GPTs to create individualized learning experiences. These AI chatbots are tailored to students’ unique needs, offering a glimpse into how technology can support personalized education.
“Custom GPTs are about educators designing learning experiences,” says Guhlin. “That’s what teaching is about—designing experiences that enable students to learn.”
Vaughn emphasizes the importance of age-appropriate use: “Instructors should be mindful of their students’ backgrounds and interests to see how AI can be applicable…and develop it in an age-appropriate way.”
3. Enhanced Safety and Efficiency in Transportation
AI is transforming physical security and transportation systems in schools. For example, Canyons School District in Utah uses AI to monitor bus safety and driver behavior, reducing accident-related expenses. Future plans include AI-powered route optimization to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
“Our short-term plans include using the technology for bus routing,” says Jeremy Wardle, CSD’s Director of Transportation. “We transport about 20,000 students every day…AI can help us get more efficient.”
4. AI Defends Against Advanced Cybercrime
AI isn’t just a tool for educators—it’s also being used by cybercriminals. AI enables scalable, sophisticated attacks, making cybersecurity a priority for schools.
“AI is lowering the barrier of entry for a lot of low-level cybercriminals,” says Marcos Christodonte II, Vice President and Global CISO at CDW. “AI is allowing them to create malicious software effectively at scale.”
To counter these threats, schools are adopting AI-powered cybersecurity tools for threat detection and access management.
5. AI in Administrative Databases
Generative AI is also making its way into cloud-based administrative systems, offering districts deeper insights. Tools can query student data and provide actionable feedback.
“We build private enclaves containing a chat resource to a large language model,” says Roger Haney, Chief Architect for Software-Defined Infrastructure at CDW. “You can ask it questions, using the data as part of your prompt, and you can talk with your data.”
AI’s role in education is expanding rapidly, from personalized learning and physical security to cybersecurity and administrative insights. As schools continue to explore this powerful technology, flexibility, safety, and ethical use will be key to its successful integration.
1. Guardrails Over Policies in Classrooms
The rapid evolution of AI makes comprehensive, tailored policies difficult to implement. Instead, schools are adopting flexible “guardrails” to guide safe and ethical AI use.
“A lot of schools are realizing this technology is a phenomenon spreading throughout society,” says Miguel Guhlin, Director of Professional Development at TCEA. “Because it’s spreading so fast, they can’t come up with hard-and-fast rules...so they set up guardrails instead to guide usage.”
Tseh-sien Kelly Vaughn, Interim Dean of the School of Education at Notre Dame de Namur University, echoes this sentiment: “Rather than thinking of an AI policy, it should be approached with guardrails or guidelines for schools to follow. These should include best teaching practices around how educators can critically use the tool…to enhance their higher-order thinking skills.”
2. Personalized Learning with AI
Early adopters of AI in classrooms are leveraging tools like custom GPTs to create individualized learning experiences. These AI chatbots are tailored to students’ unique needs, offering a glimpse into how technology can support personalized education.
“Custom GPTs are about educators designing learning experiences,” says Guhlin. “That’s what teaching is about—designing experiences that enable students to learn.”
Vaughn emphasizes the importance of age-appropriate use: “Instructors should be mindful of their students’ backgrounds and interests to see how AI can be applicable…and develop it in an age-appropriate way.”
3. Enhanced Safety and Efficiency in Transportation
AI is transforming physical security and transportation systems in schools. For example, Canyons School District in Utah uses AI to monitor bus safety and driver behavior, reducing accident-related expenses. Future plans include AI-powered route optimization to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
“Our short-term plans include using the technology for bus routing,” says Jeremy Wardle, CSD’s Director of Transportation. “We transport about 20,000 students every day…AI can help us get more efficient.”
4. AI Defends Against Advanced Cybercrime
AI isn’t just a tool for educators—it’s also being used by cybercriminals. AI enables scalable, sophisticated attacks, making cybersecurity a priority for schools.
“AI is lowering the barrier of entry for a lot of low-level cybercriminals,” says Marcos Christodonte II, Vice President and Global CISO at CDW. “AI is allowing them to create malicious software effectively at scale.”
To counter these threats, schools are adopting AI-powered cybersecurity tools for threat detection and access management.
5. AI in Administrative Databases
Generative AI is also making its way into cloud-based administrative systems, offering districts deeper insights. Tools can query student data and provide actionable feedback.
“We build private enclaves containing a chat resource to a large language model,” says Roger Haney, Chief Architect for Software-Defined Infrastructure at CDW. “You can ask it questions, using the data as part of your prompt, and you can talk with your data.”
AI’s role in education is expanding rapidly, from personalized learning and physical security to cybersecurity and administrative insights. As schools continue to explore this powerful technology, flexibility, safety, and ethical use will be key to its successful integration.