The ASEM Education Expert Group (EG) on Digitalisation & Artificial Intelligence, chaired by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), held a hybrid meeting on 4 December 2025 in conjunction with the Asia-Europe Foundation’s 6th Higher Education Innovation Laboratory (ASEFInnoLab6) on the theme “Universities’ Role in Developing Skills for an AI-Powered Future” in Košice, Slovakia, at the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University (UPJŠ).
The meeting started with a Peer Learning Activity on “Creativity in the Age of AI: Changing Education and Employer Paradigms” by Prof Dr Gabriel Semanišin of the UPJŠ followed by an exchange of updates and insights by all participating countries and stakeholders on digital transformation and AI use in higher education. The group also discussed on the EG’s workplan for 2026.
At the ASEFInnoLab6 on 5 December, the members of the Expert Group held a panel discussion on “Higher Education for an AI-enabled Future: Balancing Innovation, Equity, and Autonomy amid New Opportunities and Challenges”, with regional perspectives on the theme presented by the European Training Foundation, and the SEAMEO Regional Centre for Higher Education and Development (RIHED), an overview on the activities concerning AI within the ASEM Education Process, followed by further reflections by representatives of the Erasmus Student Network, Thailand and India.
The EG members were also involved in the drafting process of the key elements of the Košice Manifesto, which carries principles and priorities for making Higher Education Institutions enablers of smart AI use for an inclusive, ethical and future-ready society.
Thanks to continued cooperation with the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), the participants of the EG on Digitalisation & AI could join a visit to MATSUKO, a tech company based in Košice that uses AI to build holographic education and training solutions that redefine virtual people-to-people connection.
The participants also enjoyed a walking tour around Košice, highlighting the international history and mix of cultures and also the excursion to the Tokaj region.
Big thanks/Ďakujem to ASEF, the ASEFInnoLab and the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University (UPJŠ) for hosting and the amazing organisation and for letting the Expert Group join the activities and discussions!
Huge DANKE also to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), to the Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt and GRAZIE to CIMEA-NARIC Italia for making this Expert Group meeting possible!