Faith leaders and AI experts set webinar on education's human limits

The G20 Interfaith Forum and the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation will host a free webinar Thursday on how schools should use AI without losing the human purpose of education. The event brings together a theologian, an AI governance scholar and a family policy director to discuss equity, privacy, child protection and what learning is for.

Why it matters: - AI is moving fast into classrooms, and educators are weighing promised gains in personalized instruction against risks tied to privacy, equity and over-reliance on automation. - The webinar is focused on a bigger question: whether schools are optimizing for efficiency at the expense of imagination, judgment, meaning and human connection.

What happened: - The G20 Interfaith Forum, in cooperation with the International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation, is hosting the seventh session in its eight-part AI and Human Flourishing webinar series. - The free webinar, titled “AI and Education,” is set for Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, at 12 PM EDT. - Dr. Marianna Richardson, IF20 director of communications, will moderate the discussion. - Registration is available through the webinar link.

The details: - Panelists will include public theologian Rev. Dr. Marian Edmonds-Allen, AI governance scholar Medlir Mema and policy director Noah Torres. - Mema said AI has the potential to expand what is possible in education, but students should not become “more efficient versions of machines.” - Mema said education should continue to cultivate imagination, questioning, creation, judgment and meaning. - Edmonds-Allen said AI is forcing a fresh question about what learning is for. - Edmonds-Allen said schools can use AI as a learning tool rather than an answer machine. - Torres will bring a regulatory and child-protection lens, with a focus on AI regulation, child online safety and the family as the first space of education. - The panel comes as schools increasingly use AI tools for individualized instruction and to reduce administrative burdens on teachers. - The release cites unresolved concerns about equity, student data privacy and dependence on automated systems.

Between the lines: - The event is not just about classroom technology. It frames AI as a test of values, with faith and policy voices pushing back on a purely productivity-driven model of schooling. - The speakers’ focus suggests growing attention to whether AI should support human development or reshape education around machine-like efficiency. - The lineup also shows how AI debates are moving beyond computer science and into religion, family policy and child welfare.

What's next: - The webinar will take place Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026, at 12 PM EDT, which is 10 AM MDT, 9 AM PDT and 5 PM BST. - IF20 says the session is part of its broader AI and Human Flourishing series, which will continue through the remaining installments. - The organizers point readers to more information on the G20 Interfaith Forum's work.

The bottom line: - The webinar is positioning AI in education as a moral and human question, not just a technical upgrade.