The AI Readiness Gap
Starts Early
Why schools, industry and government must act now to prepare young people for an AI-shaped future before it's too late.
WHO SHOULD READ THIS
Built for the people who can close the gap.
Industry & Corporate
The AI talent pipeline you're counting on isn't being built fast enough. Here's how business can act upstream.
- Understand the scale of the readiness gap your future workforce faces
- Evidence for early, structured industry engagement
- The business case for investing before recruitment
- Insights from Sage’s partnership with Teens in AI across 16,000+ young people
Government & Policy
AI Growth Zones and infrastructure investment won't deliver without an equivalent education pipeline. The evidence is here.
- Analysis of the 2026 policy landscape, what’s working, what’s missing
- What the North East AI Growth Zone reveals about the pipeline challenge
- Seven actionable policy recommendations
- How to match infrastructure investment with youth AI readiness commitments
Schools & Educators
Your students are already using AI every day. This paper makes the case and provides the framework for what comes next.
- What young people say would actually help them feel prepared
- A practical framework for responsible AI readiness across the curriculum
- The case for project-based and hands-on AI learning
- Evidence-backed teacher support and CPD priorities
70%
of young people use AI tools every day
48%
say school is not preparing them for an AI future
94%
can imagine a future career that uses AI
39%
of workers' core skills expected to change by 2030
“We don't want to be replaced in our entry careers, and we don't want to be dependent on it for learning. We want to work WITH it, not FOR it.”
Eight chapters.
One clear argument.
This is not commentary from the sidelines. It’s grounded in eight years of delivery and original research from a global community of 40,000+ young people across 102 countries.
- 01The problem: AI readiness is being addressed too late
- 02What young people are telling us: original survey findings
- 03Why fragmented responses fall short
- 04The policy moment: why 2026 matters
- 05What young people need to be AI-ready
- 06The role of schools, industry and government
- 07A shared agenda for action: seven recommendations
- 08Closing the gap before it widens
Teens in AI · White Paper 2026
The AI Readiness Gap Starts Early
- 40K+
- young people reached globally
- 102
- countries represented
- 59%
- girls and non-binary participants
- 8 yrs
- of delivery since 2018
The gap won’t close itself.
Download the full white paper and join the conversation on what it will take to prepare a generation for an AI-shaped future.
Who we are
Building AI readiness since 2018
Teens in AI is a multi-award-winning global initiative launched in 2018 at the United Nations AI for Good Global Summit. Active in more than 100 countries, it equips young people aged 13 to 18 with the skills, confidence, and understanding needed to design responsible AI solutions that address societal challenges.
The organisation delivers hands-on learning through global hackathons, live programmes, and its AI Adventures online, self-paced MOOC courses, enabling young people to explore AI concepts, collaborate with peers and industry experts, and develop projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Teens in AI also provides training for teachers on the safe and ethical use of AI systems, supporting schools to integrate AI literacy across the curriculum. Committed to a more diverse and equitable tech ecosystem, Teens in AI prepares the next generation for an AI-driven future.
