AI update for (Christian) educators, May 2026

At the end of each month (or the start of the next 😅) I look back: what happened that educators, in my view, should know? A brief selection of AI news that touches on family, school and church. Now then, May 2026.

1. The document Magnifica Humanitas

On Whit Monday, Magnifica Humanitas appeared, a document by the Pope about protecting humanity in the age of artificial intelligence. A Roman Catholic document, then, but the RD rightly wrote that it also invites Protestant readers to reflect on AI. And a substantial part is about school and home.

The Pope warns, among other things, that the ease and speed with which AI gives answers can extinguish the desire to ask questions oneself. His point that schools don't need to keep pace with the digital tempo I find interesting. Their calling is precisely to offer what the screen cannot: shared time, real formation and trustworthy relationships.

2. Parents get more insight into teens' AI conversations (Meta, April 2026)

Closer to home, our AI-and-youth research with Driestar Educatief received a lot of attention, alongside the Yona paper "Biblical reflection on AI". Our research among more than 1,300 reformed young people showed how much AI is already simply part of their lives. The role of parents and teachers was also studied: it gives plenty of food for thought (more on this later).

3. The AI companies themselves keep developing too

Besides the monthly updates to the AI tools, the lab of Mira Murati, former CTO of OpenAI, showed a new type of AI in mid-May: the "interaction model". Instead of politely waiting its turn, it interrupts, the way natural interaction does (more). For education this could also have an effect: think of a pupil doing a sum out loud or practising French and being corrected immediately instead of afterwards. It is still a limited preview, but it already shows a direction of development.