Young People and Generative AI: Researchers Aim to Address Digital Inequalities in the Education System
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Lagt online: 14.01.2026
Associate Professor Kim Toft Hansen has received a grant of 18 million NOK from NordForsk for the research project GAIYA, which explores how generative AI can be integrated into teaching upper secondary school students across the Nordic and Baltic countries.
By Matilde Albrektsen, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: Generated AI image of Kim Toft Hansen created using Microsoft Copilot.
Associate Professor Kim Toft Hansen from the Department of Culture and Communication at AAU has been awarded 18 million NOK from the NordForsk Foundation for a research project on Generative AI in education. Generative AI in Education for Young Adults: A Gender-Inclusive Nordic-Baltic Perspective (GAIYA) examines how upper‑secondary students and teachers in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden use generative AI, particularly in majority-language subjects such as Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish, and how the technology influences teaching practices. The project also analyses media and AI literacy policies in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia.
A key focus is digital literacy and gender equality, as research indicates that boys are quicker to integrate new technology than girls, potentially creating new digital inequalities in both educational and professional contexts. The project therefore highlights playful learning and digital pedagogy to ensure that all students gain the necessary competencies to use generative AI correctly and effectively.
AAU's partners on the GAIYA project are the University of Gothenburg, Østfold University College, and the University of Tartu. AAU's partners on the GAIYA project are Stakeholders include the Danish Agency for Education and Quality, the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, and the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research, while in the longer term it is also an ambition to increase cooperation with other agencies and political institutions. In addition, the project will also collaborate with upper secondary schools in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, enabling researchers to test and evaluate different methods and teaching strategies in real educational environments.
The GAIYA project views generative AI as part of the digital platforms that shape contemporary society. Rather than treating the technology as neutral, the project investigates how AI tools function in practice, how students and teachers use them, and what social and cultural meaning they acquire in educational settings. This approach offers new insights into both pedagogical and political challenges in the education sector.
In the long term, the project aims to contribute to education policy, develop open teaching materials, and strengthen a more responsible and inclusive approach to teaching generative AI in the Nordic and Baltic regions.
The project will run from 2026 to 2030.