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Ethics education presented to the Parliamentary Committee on IT and AI

On Wednesday 25 March 2026, Dr  Lucianne Zammit, Coordinator of the Ethics Programmes within the Faculty of Education, joined Dr Alice Micallef, Mr Roger Tirazona and Ms Kirby Caruana, officials from the Ethics Department within the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation to present the work being carried out through the teaching of Ethics to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on ¸£ÀûÔÚÏßÃâ·Ñ Technology and Artificial Intelligence Affairs. More information is available .

The meeting formed part of the committee’s ongoing work to examine how Malta can respond to the rapid development of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. The agenda included a presentation from the Ethics Directorate within the Education Department, reflecting the growing recognition that technological change is not only a technical or economic issue, but also an educational and ethical one.

Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping the world our students inhabit. From generative AI tools to algorithmically curated social media feeds, young people encounter complex digital systems long before they fully understand how they work. Education, therefore, has an important responsibility: not only to equip students with digital skills, but also to cultivate the judgement needed to use these technologies responsibly.

During the meeting, they discussed how the teaching of Ethics in Maltese schools contributes to this objective. Over the past years, the Ethics curriculum has evolved to address the realities of the digital age. Students are encouraged to critically examine issues such as online misinformation, algorithmic bias, digital manipulation, and the ethical challenges posed by artificial intelligence.

At the same meeting, Dr Zammit also presented the wE-Thrive research project, a national study exploring how students understand digital trust when interacting with digital technologies and AI systems. The project is being carried out by Dr Lucianne Zammit and Prof. Christian Colombo at the University of Malta and is funded by the Malta Digital Innovation Authority.

The concept of digital trust is becoming increasingly important in an AI-driven world. As digital systems mediate more aspects of daily life, from communication and information access to education and decision-making, citizens must be able to judge when and why these systems should be trusted.

Through wE-Thrive, the researchers are examining how adolescents interpret issues such as the reliability of AI outputs, the credibility of online information, and the ethical implications of delegating decisions to automated systems. The project also investigates how school education can support young people in developing the critical dispositions required to navigate these environments safely and responsibly.

The discussion with the parliamentary committee highlighted the importance of collaboration between education, research, and policymaking. Parliamentary initiatives on artificial intelligence increasingly emphasise responsible use, transparency, and ethical safeguards as Malta integrates emerging technologies into public life.