“It is not about using AI the most, but about learning to use it the smartest.”
In the mid-1990s, Estonia’s Tiger Leap programme brought computers and the internet to every school, laying the foundations for e-Estonia. Today, Estonia is taking its next great step: AI Leap (TI-Hüpe) – a nationwide initiative ensuring that artificial intelligence strengthens learning, supports teachers, and expands opportunities for all Estonian upper-secondary school students.
AI is already reshaping how students learn. Before AI Leap, 64–90% of Estonian students (grades 6–12) used freely available AI tools for schoolwork, often relying on them to speed up tasks rather than to build understanding. One major concern is that much of this use occurred through global platforms operating with default settings, leaving data handling, content filtering, and answer quality outside the control of schools. Without clear guidance, structure, and safer learning-supportive alternatives provided by schools, this pattern risks undermining critical thinking, creativity, and self-management.
Teachers, meanwhile, were not equally prepared. A 2024 nationwide teacher survey found that just over 53% had used AI at all; many reported time pressure and heavy assessment workloads. The mismatch between student behaviour and school practice made one thing clear: Estonia needed a strategic, coordinated response.
Why AI Leap matters
AI Leap exists to make sure AI empowers learning rather than replaces it
Estonia’s schools face mounting pressures: teacher workload and shortages, the need to personalise learning for diverse students, and a growing risk that creativity and critical thinking erode when young people rely on answer-giving AI tools. AI Leap addresses these challenges by supporting teachers first and deploying a learning-supportive AI approach that guides thinking rather than replacing it.
AI is already shaping how students learn. Without clear structure and safe, pedagogically grounded tools, freely available AI systems can encourage shortcuts that weaken understanding and reduce independence. AI Leap counters this trend by giving schools the resources, guidance, and shared practices needed to use AI in ways that strengthen—not dilute—the learning process.
The programme ensures equal access to high-quality, education-specific AI tools and gives teachers time, structure, and support to redesign teaching for the AI era. By focusing on judgment, responsibility, and human-AI collaboration, AI Leap preserves Estonia’s world-class education quality while helping every student build stronger thinking and self-management skills.
What AI Leap does
AI Leap is a system-level programme that adapts AI for learning, supports teachers first, and scales evidence-based practices across schools.
At the heart of AI Leap is a deliberate pedagogical choice. Schools can approach AI in three ways:
- do nothing,
- provide technology and instructions, or
- provide technology together with guidance and deliberate development of thinking skills.
- AI Leap is built on option C — ensuring that AI strengthens learning rather than replacing it.
Supporting teachers and schools
At the heart of AI Leap is a new way for teachers to learn together. Instead of one-o‑ trainings, schools establish Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) – regular, collaborative sessions where teachers reflect, experiment, and redesign teaching and assessment for the AI era.
The programme supports more than 4,800 teachers in its pilot year through nationwide training, subject septic guidance, and regular AI-literacy seminars across Estonia. PLCs help teachers build confidence in using technology to deepen learning rather than shortcut it. This cultural shift – from “working alone” to “learning together” – is one of the most significant transformations AI Leap is bringing to Estonian schools.
Empowering students
A key innovation is a custom learning-supportive AI application developed specifically for Estonian students. Unlike general-purpose AI tools, the app is intentionally configured not to provide direct answers. Instead, it acts more like a teacher: asking guiding questions, prompting reflection, supporting planning, and helping students form their own conclusions.
When a student asks about a topic (e.g., chemical properties of metals), the app does not give the answer. Instead, it asks questions such as “What do you already know about this topic?” or “Can you think of an example where a metal shows reactivity?” This encourages the student to activate prior knowledge, plan their work, and explain their reasoning.
The app is built on the best available knowledge in learning science and is co-developed with Estonian education researchers, the Estonian Language Institute, AI experts, and international technology partners, including OpenAI and Google. This ensures a pedagogically grounded and high-quality learning experience. AI leap works directly with young people through youth organisations, debates, hackathons, and creative workshops. Students learn how AI works, how it shapes society, and how it affects their learning habits. They practice using AI in ways that promote independence, curiosity, and critical reasoning.
As President Alar Karis has stated: “It is not about using AI the most, but about learning to use it the smartest.” This principle guides every aspect of AI Leap.
Programme rollout
In the 2025–2026 pilot year, AI Leap reaches 154 of Estonia’s 156 upper-secondary schools, involving 4,800 teachers and 20,000 students.
2025–2026:
Pilot year AI Leap begins with teachers. In August 2025, schools take part in national training and form PLCs to rethink teaching and assessment for the AI era. Once teachers have piloted the methods and tools, upper-secondary students follow: from January 2026, they gain access to the new learning-supportive AI application. This phased approach ensures teachers are prepared, students are guided, and schools can introduce AI in a structured, responsible way.
2026–2027: Expansion
The programme extends to vocational education (VET) and a new cohort of 10thgrade students, bringing AI literacy and tools to an additional 38,000 learners and 2,000 teachers.
2027–2028: System-wide integration
Proven practices are embedded across schools, contributing to curriculum renewal and the development of a world-first standard for the educational use of large language models. When this work is complete, the AI Leap Foundation concludes its mandate, leaving a stronger, future-ready education system.
Collaboration behind AI Leap
AI Leap is a coordinated national effort that brings together Estonia’s public and private sectors, teachers, researchers, school leaders, youth organisations, technologists, and the Estonian Language Institute. Initiators include the Presidential Digital Council and the Ministry of Education and Research.
The pilot year is supported by a €4 million investment, co-financed equally by the public and private sectors: 50% from the Ministry of Education and Research and 50% from companies (Telia, Skaala, Smart Future Fund), philanthropy funds and entrepreneurs. AI Leap also collaborates with international technology partners, including OpenAI and Google, whose technologies support the development of Estonia’s learning-supportive AI applications.
Impact for Estonia
AI Leap strengthens Estonia’s long-term educational resilience by ensuring that every student benefits from safe, high-quality learning technologies. It reduces inequality across schools and supports more cohesive, future-ready learning environments.
By developing AI-literate, self-managing, and critically minded citizens, Estonia reinforces its position as a global digital pioneer. The programme also provides a model for applying AI responsibly across public-sector domains and contributes to national efforts to protect and advance the Estonian language in the digital age.
AI Leap – at a glance
Programme scale
- Pilot year (2025–26): 20,000 students, 4,800 teachers, 154/156 schools
- Scale-up (2026–27): +38,000 students, +2,000 teachers (VET + new 10th-grade cohort)
Pilot year budget
- €4 million (~ €200 per student)
Baseline reality
- Student AI use: 64–90% (national survey of 15,631 students grades 6-12)
- Teacher AI use: 53.2% overall; 66% primary | 50.1% upper-secondary
How AI Leap works
- Professional Learning Communities: 9 regions; groups of 5–15 teachers; monthly sessions.
- Teacher resources: general guidance on learning and AI, subject-specific materials, shared use-case
- Learning-supportive AI app: Socratic prompts, no direct answers, teacher like guidance; high-quality
- Student access to the app: from January 2026 (after teacher preparation)Estonian; co-developed with researchers, Estonian Language Institute, OpenAI, Google.