EmpowerAI’s Final Event Brings Partners Together to Share Results and Next Steps

EmpowerAI consortium has successfully held its final event, “EmpowerAI: Insights, Practice & the Road Ahead,” at the University of Tartu on September 9.

The event gathered representatives from all EmpowerAI consortium partners: the University of Tartu, Tampere University, the University of Turku, and Kaunas University of Technology, as well as representatives from the various units and institutes of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Tartu. 

The main aim of the event was to present the key outcomes of the project and, in particular, to explore the practical applicability of the EmpowerAI Guide. The guide offers concrete examples of how generative AI can be integrated into teaching and learning activities. Several case studies have already been incorporated into courses across partner universities, and their application was piloted in Tartu, Kaunas, Turku, and Tampere, engaging more than 70 participants.

The final event featured two panel discussions. The first panel brought together EmpowerAI consortium partners for a roundtable on the state of AI integration at their institutions, the usability of the AI Guide, and its potential for broader adoption. Panelists also discussed both the challenges and opportunities AI presents for reshaping teaching and assessment practices in higher education.

The second panel included representatives from Kaunas University of Technology and Tampere University, alongside guest speakers Riin Saadjärv from the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research and Helen Hint, head of the AI working group at the University of Tartu. The discussion focused on broader European and Baltic-Nordic initiatives. Riin Saadjärv introduced the audience to the rationale behind Estonia’s AI Leap program, while panelists reflected on its implications for higher education and the development of future learners’ competencies.

In the words of Anna Beitane (Head of Digital Education Projects, University of Tartu, and coordinator of EmpowerAI project):  “The final event was a great chance to present the main results of the EmpowerAI project. It gave us the opportunity to share ideas with the wider University of Tartu community and to show how generative AI can support teaching and learning in practice. Bringing together partners and stakeholders also helped us build a stronger shared vision for the future of AI in higher education.”