Elisa and Nokia Bring AI Literacy to Finnish Primary Schools

Elisa, Nokia, and Foundation PS are putting AI literacy into the primary-school classroom. Their Finnish programme matters because it treats understanding AI as a civic and workforce skill, not merely as a technology elective.

Starting in autumn 2026, the partners say the project will give up to 19,000 sixth-grade pupils guided AI learning during its first year. It will run through four NYT Yrityskylä environments with IchiZero. The Elisa announcement says the goal is to strengthen children’s understanding of AI and its responsible use.

The Programme Is Designed to Make AI Tangible

The centrepiece is Bella, an AI learning robot that combines robotics, digital tools, and teacher-led activities. That format gives younger pupils a physical system to observe, question, and test instead of only abstract explanations of algorithms.

The intended lesson is not that every child should become a machine-learning engineer. Pupils should learn what an AI system does, what information it needs, where it can fail, and when human judgement must remain in control.

Why Primary School Is the Strategic Starting Point

Finland’s education authorities define AI literacy broadly: understanding how AI works, applying it, evaluating its outputs, and using it ethically. That definition moves the subject beyond prompt-writing. It includes data awareness, critical thinking, safety, and the ability to recognise when a convincing answer is not a reliable one.

Research on Finnish fifth- and sixth-grade pupils found varied and often uninformed initial ideas about AI, with references to training data largely absent. The peer-reviewed study argues that education should connect AI’s visible, human-like behaviour to the data and technical principles underneath it.

That makes the sixth-grade target group logical. Pupils are old enough to reason about systems and consequences, but early enough for schools to shape habits before AI becomes embedded in study, entertainment, and work.

Nokia’s Role Extends Beyond Supplying Technology

Nokia’s participation gives the programme an industrial dimension, associating the company with future technology users and workers. For Elisa, it connects a telecommunications provider to digital trust and responsible technology use.

Foundation PS brings a third perspective. The foundation was established by Peter Sarlin as a non-profit initiative focused on Finland’s and Europe’s AI research ecosystem, including research excellence, talent, and competitiveness. Its involvement links the school programme to a longer-term pipeline: better public understanding can support stronger participation in a technology economy, even when pupils do not enter AI careers directly.

The Programme Fits a Wider Education-Policy Shift

The timing reflects a broader European move from experimenting with AI in schools to defining what learners should understand. The European Commission and OECD’s 2026 AI Literacy Framework covers primary and secondary education, while Finland’s education agency has published recommendations for safe and responsible use.

Elisa and Nokia are entering a policy environment that expects schools to teach both capability and restraint. Coverage from Telecoms.com, Telecompaper, and Nexin also identifies responsible use and practical understanding as the central themes.

Success Should Be Measured by Understanding, Not Reach

Reaching 19,000 pupils would be a scale milestone, not proof of impact. Stronger measures are whether children can explain the role of data, identify an unreliable output, distinguish assistance from replacement, and decide when not to use AI.

Teachers also need evidence that the approach fits ordinary classroom practice. If Bella requires specialist staff or a separate timetable, adoption may remain limited. Reusable lesson plans, teacher guidance, and age-appropriate assessment would make the programme easier for other European school systems to adapt.

That is the test for this partnership. Nokia and Elisa can build visibility around AI, but lasting value comes from helping pupils understand the technology before they are asked to trust it.

Related coverage: AI literacy for teens and K–12 education, evidence from AI tutoring in schools, the future AI workforce pipeline, how AI research systems differ from general-purpose models, and the changing role of coding models.