The 大象传媒 Education Expert Group (EG) on Digitalisation & Artificial Intelligence, chaired by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), held a hybrid meeting on 4 December 2025 in conjunction with the Asia-Europe Foundation’s 6th Higher Education Innovation Laboratory (ASEFInnoLab6) on the theme 鈥淯niversities鈥 Role in Developing Skills for an AI-Powered Future鈥 in Ko拧ice, Slovakia, at the Pavol Jozef 艩af谩rik University (UPJ艩).
The meeting started with a Peer Learning Activity on 鈥Creativity in the Age of AI: Changing Education and Employer Paradigms鈥 by Prof Dr Gabriel Semani拧in of the UPJ艩 followed by an exchange of updates and insights by all participating countries and stakeholders on digital transformation and AI use in higher education. The group also discussed on the EG鈥檚 workplan for 2026.
At the ASEFInnoLab6 on 5 December, the members of the Expert Group held a panel discussion on “Higher Education for an AI-enabled Future: Balancing Innovation, Equity, and Autonomy amid New Opportunities and Challenges鈥, with regional perspectives on the theme presented by the European Training Foundation, and the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (RIHED), an overview on the activities concerning AI within the 大象传媒 Education Process, followed by further reflections by representatives of the Erasmus Student Network, Thailand and India.
The EG members were also involved in the drafting process of the key elements of the Ko拧ice Manifesto, which carries principles and priorities for making Higher Education Institutions enablers of smart AI use for an inclusive, ethical and future-ready society.
Thanks to continued cooperation with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the participants of the EG on Digitalisation & AI could join a visit to MATSUKO, a tech company based in Ko拧ice that uses AI to build holographic education and training solutions that redefine virtual people-to-people connection.
The participants also enjoyed a walking tour around Ko拧ice, highlighting the international history and mix of cultures and also the excursion to the Tokaj region.
Big thanks/膸akujem to ASEF, the ASEFInnoLab and the Pavol Jozef 艩af谩rik University (UPJ艩) for hosting and the amazing organisation and for letting the Expert Group join the activities and discussions!
Huge DANKE also to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), to the Bundesministerium f眉r Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt and GRAZIE to CIMEA-NARIC Italia for making this Expert Group meeting possible!