Weekly AI News Update (16-22 January 2026)

Weekly AI News Update (16-22 January 2026)

OpenAI has launched its “Education for Countries” initiative, a global programme partnering with governments and universities to integrate AI tools like ChatGPT Edu and GPT-5.2 into national education systems. The initiative aims to personalise learning, reduce administrative workloads, and conduct large-scale research on learning outcomes, with an inaugural cohort including Estonia, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Slovakia, Trinidad & Tobago, and the United Arab Emirates. 🔗 Open AI
New research from Google suggests that advanced AI reasoning models from China, such as DeepSeek’s R1, exhibit “societies of thought”—internal multi-agent debates that mimic human collective intelligence. The study posits that this internal diversity of perspectives, not just computational scale, is a key driver of enhanced problem-solving capabilities, underscoring the growing influence of Chinese open-source models in cutting-edge global AI research. 🔗 SCMP
A comprehensive report warns that England’s education system is failing to strategically integrate AI, risking a new and entrenched digital divide. While private schools advance, state schools lack the necessary infrastructure, teacher training, and clear policy leadership, leading to shallow adoption. The analysis calls for a national AI action plan, including a universally available AI teaching assistant, robust digital infrastructure, mandatory teacher training, and a structured framework to develop, test, and deploy safe, high-quality AI tools to prevent systemic inequity. 🔗 Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Google is expanding no-cost access to its Gemini AI features within Google Workspace for Education. Core tools like Gemini in Gmail, Docs, and Slides are being integrated into the free Education Fundamentals and paid Education Plus tiers, while a new premium ‘AI Pro for Education’ add-on offers advanced capabilities for faculty. The company also launched Google Workspace Studio, enabling the creation of custom AI agents across all education editions, providing institutions with scalable tools and administrative controls to manage deployment. 🔗 YourStory
The Hong Kong Education Bureau is exploring the development of a customised large language model (LLM) tailored to the city’s school curriculum, in collaboration with edtech firms and academic institutions. The initiative aims to create a safe and reliable AI platform that can support localised teaching and assessment needs, while authorities also plan to expand AI literacy training programmes for teachers to build professional capacity in digital education. 🔗 MSN