As Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) transforms the global educational ecosystem at an unprecedented pace, how to convert AI technology into actual classroom outcomes has become the top focus of the academic community.

Smart Education was recently invited (on June 24) to participate in the annual premier event of the language education sector—the "International Summit on the Use of AI in Language Learning and Teaching 2026" (AIinLT 2026). During the summit's workshop, Smart Education shared the design philosophies and successful practical stories of its English speaking platforms, My AI Buddy and MetaLingua, with global and local education experts and frontline teachers, demonstrating its leading position in digital educational transformation.

Honored as an International Summit Speaker: Demonstrating Industry Trust and Academic Strength

The "AIinLT 2026 International Summit" was organized by the Education Bureau (EDB) and the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (SCOLAR), and co-organized by the Department of English and Communication of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. With the core theme of "AI in Language Education: From Ideas to Implementation to Impact," this year's summit was a high-spec international academic forum gathering top global scholars, educational policymakers, and frontline principals and teachers.

As a team deeply rooted in digital education for many years, Smart Education is extremely honored to be invited to participate in this international event and host a workshop. This invitation is not only a tremendous validation of our past efforts but also reflects the trust placed in us by official and academic institutions such as the Education Bureau, SCOLAR, and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. We will continue to uphold our original aspiration and strive to be the most trusted partner in the education sector.

Frontline Intellectual Exchange: Principals and Teachers Share Firsthand Experiences: Immediate Trial Receives Warm Responses

In the specialized workshop hosted by Smart Education, the team specially invited Principal Mah Wing Yee, Panel Chairperson Ms. Cheng Tsz Yan, and Ms. Lo Ying Yu from Chinese YMCA Primary School to share their real-life case studies on-site.

As the leaders and core members of frontline education, the three shared their genuine feedback after introducing the My AI Buddy and MetaLingua platforms into daily classrooms. Principal Mah and the teaching team pointed out that these two platforms break the time and space constraints of traditional English speaking classes. Their low-anxiety interactive nature has greatly boosted students' confidence in speaking English and their motivation for self-directed learning.

The atmosphere at the workshop was highly enthusiastic. To give attendees a more intuitive experience of the platform features, Smart Education conducted live demonstrations and set up a hands-on trial session. This allowed nearly a hundred primary and secondary school teachers in attendance to operate and test the AI conversation robot functions of My AI Buddy firsthand, as well as experience the teacher-student interactions and English speaking communication games within iPadOS applications in the MetaLingua virtual environment. Many teachers who participated in the trial praised the lively interface and immediate AI feedback, stating that it effectively solves the pain point of catering to learning diversity in the classroom.

Publication of Two Academic Papers: Validating Teaching Effectiveness via TPACK and ELT-AIR Frameworks

Beyond outstanding platform demonstrations, Smart Education also showcased its profound academic research capabilities at the summit. Mr. Kevin Chan, Project Director of the Smart Education Charitable Foundation, shared two latest heavyweight research reports published this year regarding the field of AI in learning and teaching.

These two reports were published at a critical moment when the Education Bureau launched the "Development Blueprint for Digital Education in Primary and Secondary Schools." Mr. Kevin Chan elaborated on how the team utilized the advanced TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) framework to scientifically validate the effectiveness of AI in real teaching scenarios. The research indicates that a successful AI classroom cannot rely solely on the technology itself; it depends heavily on teacher readiness.

To this end, in a paper recently published in a SCOPUS-indexed journal, Smart Education proposed the innovative ELT-AIR (English Language Teachers' Generative AI Readiness Scale) assessment tool. Covering eight key dimensions—including technological knowledge, technological pedagogical knowledge, and AI ethical safeguards—this tool precisely assists schools in reviewing and enhancing teachers' academic and technological equipment in the AI era.

For more details, please visit https://www.mysmartedu.com/index.php/news/news_detail/3771

About My AI Buddy and MetaLingua

My AI Buddy and MetaLingua are project outcomes funded under the Quality Education Fund e-Learning Ancillary Facilities Programme (Project No.: 2021/1047). Jointly launched by the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong and Smart Education, they utilize generative AI chatbot technology combined with an English learning platform to help students communicate more in English.

The platforms also employ AI speech assessment tools provided by ETS to evaluate students' English speaking performance—such as fluency, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and intonation—and provide real-time feedback, giving students more opportunities to practice English.

For more details, please visit: https://web.edcity.hk/zh-hant/elafp/project/20211047/