How will generative AI change teachers’ everyday work? What new opportunities, challenges and ethical dilemmas might emerge? And how can we ensure that AI supports teachers rather than adding to their workload?
On 30 November 2026, the LärA AI Research School will bring together international researchers and experts for a symposium at Uppsala University to discuss these questions.
LärA AI is a national research school focusing on teachers’ work environment and wellbeing in the age of generative AI. Funded by the Swedish Research Council, the research school brings together Uppsala University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and the University of Gävle. With funding of SEK 42 million, the initiative supports doctoral research exploring how generative AI influences teachers’ professional roles, working conditions and everyday practices.
The research school is led by Mats Daniels and Åsa Cajander at Uppsala University and combines perspectives from human-computer interaction, education and work environment research. An important ambition is to develop knowledge that can help schools introduce and use AI in ways that support both teachers and education.
The symposium is part of this effort and offers an opportunity to bring different research perspectives together.
An international programme with a focus on teachers
The morning begins with Tony Clear from Auckland University of Technology discussing changing teacher roles and ethical dilemmas associated with agentic AI. Torkil Clemmensen from Copenhagen Business School will explore digital legacy, organisational memory and the experiences of older teachers. Eva Lundqvist from Uppsala University will share experiences of collaboration between teachers and researchers, while Netta Iivari from the University of Oulu will discuss participatory design and teachers’ opportunities to shape their future work practices.
In the afternoon, Michalis Giannakos from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology will examine human learning and interaction with AI. Mark Guzdial from the University of Michigan will discuss pressures on teachers in classrooms, while Carsten Schulte from Paderborn University will address generative AI in education from the perspective of explainable AI.
Two panel discussions will bring together the speakers with additional perspectives from Mihaela Sabin at the University of New Hampshire, Marcus Koskinen-Hagman from Ålands lyceum and Bengt Sandblad from Uppsala University.
The day concludes with an open discussion about possible ways forward for research on teachers’ work environment in the age of AI.
We look forward to a day of interesting presentations and discussions, and to exploring how research can contribute to a sustainable working environment for teachers as AI becomes an increasingly common part of education.
The symposium takes place on 30 November 2026 at Uppsala University, room Å90102, from 09.00 to 16.45.
You can find the program here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sARe57iTdD37LSxdHd4aEI92-fZO5BnAJ3kx2_eKitI/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.kt85udw4jmdr