This July, Paris became an important capital of digital learning, hosting both the #OpenEdXConf2025 and #EMOOCs2025 at Télécom Paris and Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IP) — two of Europe’s most prestigious hubs for digital innovation.

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This wasn’t just another edtech gathering. It marked for us a pivotal moment in the evolution of open source education, lifelong learning strategies, and the integration of Responsible AI in digital learning platforms.

Among the most visionary highlights was the unveiling of a bold European response to the rapid adoption of ChatGPT in education. France’s AI Alliance, in collaboration with Mistral AI, EdTech France, and over 35 higher education institutions, is working to develop a culturally aligned, ethical, and open-source European AI model — one that supports digital sovereignty while enhancing the student experience through responsible AI integration. 

Thank you to Lucie Jacquet-Malo from the Université de Picardie Jules Verne for opening the event by presenting the France Alliance.

→ An initiative that could become a blueprint for “AI for Education” at scale, and a model for global collaboration.

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With a perfect blend of inspiring keynotes, community-driven panels, AI deep-dives, and case studies, the conferences left one thing clear: Open source, open standards, and open communities are essential to shaping the future of education — but openness must go hand-in-hand with agency, ethics, and innovation.

Merci, Télécom Paris & Institut Polytechnique de Paris

The venue: Telecom Paris and Institut Polytechnique de Paris delivered both inspiration and impeccable logistics. These institutions, among the top-ranked for digital technologies in Europe, welcomed us with open arms and set the stage for an unforgettable event. 

Thank you Ella Hamonic from UNESCO-IIEP and Remi Sharock, IP Paris and Axim Collaborative Team for the support!

A Global Community, One Shared Mission

The Open edX and EMOOCs community brought together pedagogues, instructional designers, developers, university leaders, and policymakers from every corner of the globe. The energy was palpable and the mission clear: 

Co-create an inclusive, ethical, and high-impact future for learning, adding AI in education.

Voices of Vision: Keynote Highlights

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We were honored to hear from thought leaders like Lucie Jacquet-Malo, Mairéad Pratschke, Neil Allison, Angel Cabrera, Payal Arora, Lidija Kralj, Courtney Hills McBeth, Anant Agarwal, François Taddei, and Ella Hamonic etc. These experts highlighted critical themes: from AI and cultural integrity to international collaboration on micro credentials and competency-based education.

The Future Is Open: Open Source as an Engine for Innovation

One of the most consistent threads? The vital role of open-source platforms like the Open edX platform. The Open edX ecosystem continues to prove that flexibility, sovereignty, and collaboration are the winning formula for sustainable education innovation.

Highlights from the BizDev Working Group & Community Sessions: 

The BizDev Working Group, represented in Paris by Axim Collaborative, Abstract-Technology, Edunext, Raccon Gang, and TitanEd, shared OKRs and goals for 2024-2025 with the motto "One Year, One BizDev Group, Many Wins." We explored new strategies to expand the Open edX platform's reach into competency-based learning, public sector training, and workforce re-skilling.

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And the painting session? A colorful, creative brainstorm on the future of the Open edX platform in 2028. A true visual manifesto of our shared vision.

Lifelong Learning & European Collaboration

Alessandra Antonaci from EADTU shared insights into micro credentials and the Common Micro credential Framework (CMF), essential for modular, high-quality learning across Europe. These are tied closely to the EU's Individual Learning Accounts and European Degree initiatives—tools for flexible, borderless, and interoperable learning.

"Dogfooding" with Students: Our Experiment

Me Stefania Trabucchi, Thomas Staubitz from the German University of Digital Science and Eden Hutmacher from Axim Collaborative also presented "Eating Your Own Dogfood," a project-based learning experiment with students at UDS. Students installed and configured their own Open edX instances and compiled a 100-page lab report (!). It proved not only educational but transformative.

Building the Future of Open edX

Together with the Open edX BizDev Working Group we shared key strategic insights on advancing the platform in the format of a workshop.

Multi-Brand Complexity for the University of Digital Science

The journey of building a robust online university ecosystem for the German University of Digital Science (German UDS) in Potsdam, Germany, powered by the Open edX platform was showcased in this session by me, Stefania Trabucchi, and Thomas Staubitz (German UDS).

We delved into how, at Abstract-Technology GmbH, we transformed the Open edX platform into a comprehensive digital higher education platform designed to support learners throughout their academic journey, from application to graduation. We also explained the crucial infrastructure choices and platform design strategies we made, and shared valuable post-launch reflections.

The Age of Reasonable AI & Responsible Integration

The #OpenEdXConf2025 and #EMOOCs2025 conferences did more than showcase new features and community success stories — they reflected a paradigm shift in how AI is being positioned in education.

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One of the most impactful narratives came from Mairéad Pratschke, AI strategist and author of Generative AI and Education, who offered a roadmap through the complex terrain of generative AI in learning. She introduced us to OECD’s 9 AI capability indicators, from creativity to robotic manipulation. Her conclusion: the hybrid model of human + AI is not the future—it’s the now. We must embrace a responsible, culturally aware integration of AI into learning.

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Check out her recommended MIT research, "Your Brain on ChatGPT":https://www.media.mit.edu/projects/your-brain-on-chatgpt/overview/

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And she walked us through Sam Altman’s five levels of “Super AI” — OpenAI’s vision of how artificial intelligence will evolve from today's chatbots into society-shaping systems:

• Conversational AI
  
• Reasoning AI
  
• Autonomous AI
• Innovating AI
• Organizational AI
  

According to Pratschke, “The more you learn and understand what AI can do for your business, the more you’ll be able to produce, with fewer resources at each stage.”

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She made a powerful call to action: “Deploying stage one right now will set you up for success when the technology advances.” Because in the near future, there will be two types of institutions: those who acted early, and those who never caught up.

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Learn more: Generative AI and Education – Mairéad Pratschke or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AtjWYzG_uc

Building an AI Extensibility Framework

Edunext introduced a framework idea for the community that can empowers developers to test and integrate LLMs across Open edX. Extensibility, observability (via xAPI/aspects), and tooling were emphasized as core components to make AI usable, safe, and impactful across learning environments.

Ethics, Culture & Transparency

Panels led by Axim Collaborative and speakers like Stephanie Khurana, Courtney McBeth, and Anant Agarwal challenged us to reflect: How do we balance personalization with privacy? Cultural integrity with technological acceleration? Anant’s call to action: "If you're building software with AI, share it as open source."

Unforgettable Moments: The Community Experience

Let’s not forget: the best talks often happened over coffee, at lunch, or on the chartered boat ride on the Seine with the Eiffel Tower glowing at sunset. These moments reminded us that we are more than tech—we’re a community.

What Comes Next?

• A shared roadmap for ethical AI and lifelong learning.
  
• Strategic adoption of Open edX for public education and skills development.
  
• A new focus on modular learning, micro credentials, and CBL.
• Stronger community contribution models: GitHub, proposals, product reviews.
• Cross-sector partnerships to shape what education will become.
  

Let’s Shape the Future Together

The Open edX community is open, inclusive, and powerful. 

From government to grassroots, from Paris to Pretoria, Open edX is becoming the backbone of lifelong digital learning.

Want to be part of this future? 

Join the Open edX community, propose your ideas, or contribute to the next 
big thing.

Join the Open edX community​​​​

#OpenEdX2025 #EMOOCs2025 #LifelongLearning #GenerativeAI #OpenSource #FutureOfEducation