AI-assisted content creation in Italy

Blog post by Anna, study counsellor at Helsingin aikuisopiston peruskoulu

In June 2025, I took part in a one-week Erasmus+ course in Florence, Italy. The course was called AI-Powered Content Creation for Educators, and it was organised by europass Teacher Academy, which runs courses in several European countries.

When I arrived in Florence, it was sunny and +38 degrees. I already got a glimpse of the famous Florence Cathedral as I walked across the city in the heat to my accommodation, where the air conditioning was very welcome. I asked the host about restaurants nearby, and she recommended a cosy trattoria, popular with Italians too, just around the corner. To celebrate my arrival, I chose a tasty courgette and tomato bake and went to bed happy before the first course day.

Starting the course with a shared direction

The first course day gave us the chance to get to know each other and the goals of the course. We were an international group of 12 people from different parts of Europe, for example Croatia, France and Spain. Even though we came from different school systems and cultures, we all wanted to develop our teaching and guidance work and learn more about the possibilities of AI. I was the only person from the Nordic countries, which brought an interesting perspective to the discussions. This was especially true when we compared how technology and AI are used to support teaching in different countries, and how people see students’ use of AI and the role of teachers’ authority.

The day was mainly about getting started. We got to know each other and the structure of the course and discussed how AI and technology can be used in teaching. Each of us gave a short presentation about our home city and our school. Then each of us thought about our current and target skill level in using generative AI with the help of the SAMR model (substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition).

The discussion about the possibilities and challenges of AI in schools raised many thoughts, both excitement and healthy criticism. It was interesting to hear how AI is approached in different countries, for example from the point of view of different regulations, resources or education systems. In the following days, we also had lighter conversations about cultural differences and the things we have in common, for example during coffee breaks.

AI basics and ethics

On the second day, we went deeper into the world of AI. We looked at the history and development of AI through a jigsaw activity, first in pairs and then in groups, which was an effective way to organise information. One of the most interesting parts of the day was prompt engineering, where we practised writing effective and precise prompts for ChatGPT and other language models, such as Gemini.

During the day, we also discussed ethical questions related to AI, such as bias in generative AI and the responsible use of AI in general. I think these are especially important topics to think about in education. At the end of the day, we planned our own teaching material with the help of AI. We came up with ideas, shared tips and discussed what we had made.

Image generators and my own bot

We started the third course day with a ‘Real or Fake Game’, where we guessed which pictures were made by AI and which were real. It was surprisingly difficult. This led to a lot of discussion and showed how convincing AI-generated images can be today. The exercise helped me understand how important it is to teach students critical visual literacy.

We also tested the image editing and image creation features of AI apps ourselves. It was impressive to see how quickly AI can produce visual material, for example comics. This makes it possible to create visual teaching material quickly, as long as the prompts are clear enough. We had a fun moment when we turned our photos of the course participants and our trainer into pictures in the style of Studio Ghibli animations. At the same time, using AI-generated images raised ethical questions and discussion about copyright and how reliable images are.

In the afternoon, we looked at Canva’s AI tools, which make creating visual presentations much easier. The course also introduced Mizou, a platform where you can create your own chatbots. This app was new to me and very useful. I tried out how I could build a bot to support students’ learning. This gave me the idea of building a bot to help students choose a career, for example.

AI in everyday teaching

The fourth course day was especially interesting, because we tried AI tools that combine several apps, such as Curipod and Diffit. With these apps, you can create interactive lessons or tasks for students. They also make differentiation possible, which I find important in my work with students who have moved to Finland, because their language skills need to be taken into account. Another interesting tool was Brisk, which can turn videos and texts into podcasts and different learning tasks that make learning more effective.

At the end of the day, we went on a trip to the countryside in the Chianti region. The landscapes were amazing, and it was nice to spend relaxed time with the other participants.

AI for planning and creative work, and using it responsibly

The last day of the course was both inspiring and thought-provoking. In the morning, we looked at MagicSchool, a tool that can create teaching content, tasks and course plans in just a few minutes. This showed in practice how much time AI can save in teaching and guidance work.

The second tool of the morning, Suno AI, was especially interesting for language teachers. With AI, you can create sound, music or speech, which offers lots of possibilities, for example for listening practice or for students’ own creative work.

Later in the day, we looked at the EU’s recommendations on using AI in teaching. This part was especially important, because it brought in a responsible and ethical perspective: we cannot just get excited about new tools, we must also understand how they affect learning, privacy and equality. We also looked at AI detectors, which help to identify when a piece of work has been made by AI. This raised many questions: where is the line between acceptable and unacceptable use, and how can we teach students to use technology critically and honestly?

At the end of the day, we got a useful summary of the tools from the week, and then we received our certificates. The mood was excited but a little sad. We agreed that during the week, we had become a small international learning network that we can stay in touch with in the future.

All in all, the course made me think about my own work as a study counsellor from a new perspective. AI is no longer the future – it is here now. At the same time, it challenges all of us in teaching and guidance to keep developing and to act responsibly. I believe that, at its best, AI can free up time, make space for creativity and support differentiation. But it also requires attention, regulation and ethical thinking from us. At its best, using AI frees up resources for the actual teaching and guidance work and for meeting our students.

If you are looking for new learning and a new perspective on your work, I warmly recommend taking part in the Erasmus+ programme.