Reflecting on the AI Education Summit 2025: A Human-Centred Future for AI in Learning

On Friday 24th October, ICS.AI was proud to attend and exhibit at the AI Education Summit 2025, hosted by The Windsor Forest Colleges Group at Slough and Langley College. Invited by Jisc as a pioneering AI partner, we joined over 350 educators, technologists, and leaders

from across the UK to explore how AI can shape the next chapter of teaching, learning, and assessment. 

A Summit for Collaboration and Change 

Following last year’s landmark event, the Summit once again brought together voices from across education and government - including speakers from the UK Government, Salesforce, Pearson, Everway, Eton College, FE Tech and Microsoft - to discuss how AI can enhance human connection, creativity, and trust in education. 

This year’s themes - Assessment and Agentic AI - focused on how artificial intelligence can help refresh traditional models of evaluation and coordination, offering a glimpse into a more adaptive, authentic, and human future for learning. 

Michael Webb, Director of AI at Jisc, shared:  

 “Universities and colleges urgently need scalable, responsible and ethical AI solutions that deliver real operational impact,”  

“At Jisc, we’re actively supporting the sector in navigating this transformation in a way that upholds trust and integrity across teaching, research and the student experience. The work ICS.AI has done with Derby City Council offers a valuable opportunity for Jisc to explore how AI might be applied in practice, with exciting potential to inform future developments across the education sector.” 

We’re deeply grateful to Michael and the Jisc team for the invitation and the opportunity to share our work as part of this inspiring event. 

Key Takeaways from the Day 

1. Opening Vision – The Future of Learning with AI 

Roddy Peters, Group Head of Digital Skills at Windsor Forest College Group, set the tone with an optimistic “Solarpunk” vision - one where technology enriches human experience and supports sustainable coexistence. 

Roddy described AI as having “ripped off the plaster of what we want in education,” compelling educators to reimagine learning with purpose and empathy. He drew on the metaphor of “lamp lighting” from Vietnamese tradition - portraying education as an act of illumination, not automation. 

His reflections captured a central truth echoed throughout the day: AI should augment, not replace, human learning. It should empower teachers and students to explore, create, and connect in deeper ways. 

2. UK Government Keynote – Learning to Live with AI 

In his thought-provoking keynote, David Knott, Chief Technology Officer at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, explored the tension between innovation and legacy in government technology. 

Knott described three phases of technological evolution - Plugboard, Prompts, and Practice - reminding attendees that the sector is still learning how to move from instructing AI to seamlessly integrating it into everyday workflows. 

His message was clear: true transformation will come through experimentation, critical thinking, and human oversight. “The only route to practice is practice,” he said - urging institutions to build capacity for responsible innovation, not dependency. 

3. A Shared Commitment to Responsible AI 

Across panels, workshops, and fireside discussions, the theme of trust emerged again and again. From Jisc’s “AI from Disruption to Direction” session to insights shared by Everway, FE Tech, and Pearson, speakers reinforced the importance of building AI systems that are transparent, ethical, and inclusive. 

Discussions around Agentic AI - systems capable of independent coordination across cloud platforms - pointed to the next frontier for education: intelligent tools that not only support learning but actively help orchestrate it, enabling greater personalisation and efficiency. 

Our Perspective – AI for All 

At ICS.AI, we share the Summit’s belief that AI must be human-centred, ethical, and accessible to all. Our SMART: Unified AI for All platform - recognised by Jisc for its impact - brings together intelligent assistants, copilots, and workflow automation to empower staff, educators, and students alike. 

Starting from just £1.50 per user, SMART: offers a scalable and affordable approach to digital transformation - proven to deliver measurable impact, including our £5M savings guarantee for universities. 

Learn more about how SMART: can help your institution deliver ethical, effective, and affordable AI transformation: ICS.AI offers proven £5M savings guarantee to universities.  

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