Taiwan taps AI-driven education data platform for policy decisions

An exhibition booth for MiTAC, a Taiwanese electronics firm developing an artificial intelligence-driven education data platform, is displayed at Smart City Summit and Expo 2026 in Taipei, Taiwan, March 18. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-hyun

TAIPEI, Taiwan — When discussions turn to artificial intelligence (AI) in education, it is often framed as a tool for teaching students. In Taiwan, however, the approach is markedly different — AI is being used not in classrooms, but to provide information and support policymaking and strategic planning.

At Smart City Summit and Expo 2026, held from March 17 to 20, Taiwanese electronics firm MiTAC unveiled a data platform that aggregates vast amounts of school-related information into a single, interactive system.

The platform, in operation for four years, compiles data from schools across districts in New Taipei City, allowing users to visualize and compare information through an interactive city map.

“You can access data across multiple areas and interact with a map to explore specific schools in each district,” said Demo Liu, an engineer at MiTAC.

The dataset extends beyond basic indicators such as student and teacher numbers, offering detailed insights into student behavior and performance — including the most widely used e-learning platforms, average academic achievement and even health-related metrics.

Built on the database, the platform also features an AI-powered chatbot that allows users to ask questions about school information.

Users can receive instant, data-driven responses by asking questions such as which schools offer the most classes or demonstrate the highest academic performance, or which areas have the lowest student density.

The system generates rankings, comparisons and trend analyses across schools, offering a new way to interpret large-scale education data.

A monitor displays the operation of an artificial intelligence-driven platform providing education data at Smart City Summit and Expo 2026 in Taipei, Taiwan, March 18. Korea Times photo by Jung Da-hyun

The platform is publicly available, with different levels of data access.

General users including students and parents can access basic information such as school size and commonly used e-learning platforms, while more sensitive data remains restricted. Teachers, school administrators and government officials can log in to access more detailed datasets, enabling deeper analysis.

Authorities in New Taipei are using the platform as a basis for education policy.

By analyzing trends across districts — including changes in student populations, device usage, learning patterns and health indicators — policymakers can develop targeted strategies. Schools, meanwhile, use the data to benchmark against peers and strengthen their competitiveness.

The approach contrasts significantly with Korea, where AI integration at the primary and secondary levels has largely focused on personalized learning tailored to individual students.

In Taiwan, however, AI adoption in classrooms remains limited.

“Digital devices are commonly used, but AI is not yet widely applied in direct teaching,” Liu said.

Instead, Taiwan is prioritizing AI as an infrastructure for governance in the education sector, using data to inform decision-making at the system level rather than within individual classrooms, as showcased at the exhibition.

A separate platform is also being developed to track students’ health conditions, with the aim of enabling education, welfare and city government authorities to use the data in health-related policymaking.

It also plans to continuously update the data and integrate it into conversational AI systems, with the expectation that the technology can be expanded to a wider range of applications over time.