Can artificial intelligence personalise learning while people remain at the centre of education? A school group in the UAE is testing that idea with a new school model that puts AI-powered personalised learning alongside teachers, mentors and real-world experiences.

GEMS Education on Thursday unveiled GR8 School, which it describes as a global-first model designed around the individual learner rather than a fixed classroom timetable. The first GR8 School is expected to soft launch in January 2027, initially operating as a "school within a school" in an existing GEMS campus.

The model comes as Dubai continues to explore new approaches to education and how schools can prepare students for a rapidly changing workplace.

At its heart is a simple proposition: students could progress through core academic material at their own pace, while teachers spend more time working directly with individual students and specialists bring real-world expertise into their education.

Sunny Varkey, Chairman and Founder of GEMS Education, said the model was shaped by the changing world children are entering.

"Today, artificial intelligence is changing how we learn and work, but the answer cannot simply be to put more technology into classrooms."

(Source: Khaleej Times)