A recent report by the World Bank, prepared in collaboration with the National Center for E-Learning, highlighted the contributions of the National Institute for Professional Educational Development within the capacity-building system of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the field of artificial intelligence in education, as part of the AISandBox initiative owned by the center.

The report shed light on the institute's role in developing the professional capacities of teachers and school leaders, enhancing institutional readiness, and supporting the responsible use of artificial intelligence in educational environments.

The report referred to the summer program 'Employing Artificial Intelligence in Digital Education,' implemented in collaboration between the National Center for E-Learning and the institute, as a model for capacity-building programs aimed at enabling teachers to effectively and responsibly employ artificial intelligence applications in their educational practices, and enhancing their readiness to adopt emerging technologies.

The report explained that the success of applying artificial intelligence technologies in education is linked to the integration of capacity-building with the availability of appropriate infrastructure, effective leadership, implementation and follow-up mechanisms, and continuous support, contributing to the sustainable institutional adoption of these technologies.

The report emphasized that the expansion of employing artificial intelligence in education requires the sustainability of professional development opportunities for teachers and educational leaders, pointing to the importance of cooperation with specialized entities such as the National Institute for Professional Educational Development to provide professional programs and applied support, and to enable educational institutions to effectively integrate artificial intelligence applications into their practices.

In the context of transitioning from the experimental phase to large-scale institutional application, the report included the institute among the entities with pivotal roles in the governance system, alongside the Ministry of Education, the Education and Training Evaluation Commission, and the National Center for Curriculum; thereby enhancing the quality of application and the sustainability of professional development and raising the readiness of the education sector for digital transformation.

The report was based on the institute's participation as a founding partner in the interviews conducted by the World Bank team during the preparation of the study, reflecting its contribution to enriching the report with national expertise and practices related to professional capacity-building and the employment of artificial intelligence in education.

This approach affirms the standing of the National Institute for Professional Educational Development within the human resources development system in the Kingdom, and its role in supporting the readiness of teachers and educational leaders, and enhancing professional practices based on the best international standards, thereby contributing to building a more future-ready educational system and achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.