Estonia's AI Leap Foundation joins Jerusalem education talks

An Estonian mayor and Ivo Visak, CEO of Estonia's AI Leap Foundation, are expected at Israel's first International Education Conference in Jerusalem on Nov. 9–10, 2026. The foundation promotes the integration of artificial intelligence into education.

The two-day gathering at the Shimon Peres International Convention Center, also known as Binyanei HaUma, is meant to examine how schools can adapt to rapid technological change. Organizers say a central question is how to prepare children and young people for a future shaped by artificial intelligence, shifting social norms and security challenges. Mayors from Estonia, Nepal and Chile are listed among the international participants, alongside education ministers and senior officials from several other countries.

Practical issues on the agenda include the growing role of artificial intelligence in classrooms and the influence of social media and algorithms on young people. The programme is organised around two themes: EduHuman, covering students, teachers, families and communities, and EduSystem, covering the structures, infrastructure and technologies, including emerging digital tools and new institutional models, that education systems may need.

Speakers include social-media entrepreneur Nuseir Yassin, known as Nas Daily, and Noah Heller, a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. An opening TEDxJerusalem evening on Nov. 9, titled Growth in Uncertainty, is scheduled at the Ussishkin Auditorium from 6 to 9 p.m. An innovation exhibition will present companies, nonprofits and programmes developing approaches to classroom learning, enrichment and skills development.

Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said the city has increasingly become an international centre for dialogue on education and that he hopes the conference will begin an annual tradition. Deputy Mayor Hagit Moshe, who oversees the education portfolio, said officials intend to make the gathering a recurring international event.