The Journal. · Thursday, September 24, 2026
Estonia is piloting a national experiment called 'AI Leap,' providing tens of thousands of high school students with access to AI chatbots like ChatGPT. This initiative stems from a survey indicating 90% of students were already using AI for learning, prompting the government to proactively engage with the technology rather than ignore it. The goal is to understand how to maintain learning in an age where AI can perform tasks previously requiring human intellect.
“Estonia started thinking about the project in 2024. After one survey found that 90% of the country's high school students were already using generative AI for learning. They figured that not doing anything was the worst choice of all. And so instead, they're launching a national experiment to figure out what the best thing is to do.”
“The entire idea of school and how we encourage learning and what even we want people to learn is at stake here. And so it's a glimpse maybe of what could happen in a school district near you.”