Over 80% of Bulgarians are expected to start using artificial intelligence in the next three years, across all age groups. Today, it is almost impossible to find a Bulgarian student who does not turn to ChatGPT when preparing homework. This development poses new challenges for teachers and the education system as a whole.

These issues were the focus of an international conference organized by the Bulgarian Sunday School “Sts. Cyril and Methodius” in Athens, reported Radio Bulgaria’s Gergana Mancheva. The theme of the conference was “Artificial Intelligence and Education: The Path to Innovative Teaching.”

The forum was opened by Mimi Nicheva, director of the Sunday school, and welcoming remarks were delivered by Mariana Petrova from the Bulgarian Embassy in Athens and Professor Dr. Rumen Mladenov, rector of Plovdiv University Paisii Hilendarski. Guest lecturers Boris Mihaylov and Bozhana Mihaylova, doctoral students at the Faculty of Education at Plovdiv University, introduced participants to Bulgaria’s contribution to early AI prototypes developed in the 1990s, as well as the practical use of ChatGPT in Bulgarian Sunday schools today