IC Blog

DP Students Meet IB Director General

DP Students Meet IB Director General

On June 6–7, a group of our IB students had the exceptional opportunity to participate in the IB Day event in Montevideo, a gathering that brought together students and educators from across the country to explore the evolving role of education in a rapidly changing world. Our student representatives at the event - Luca C., Lorenzo D., Juan Ignacio G., Rebecca L., Emma M., and Uma S. - were selected based on the quality and depth of the questions they proposed in preparation for the session.

A highlight of the event was a conversation with Mr. Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director General of the International Baccalaureate. During this exchange, students engaged in a thought-provoking dialogue about how emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, might affect the IB’s core values of inquiry, critical thinking, and global citizenship.

Responding to our students’ question, Mr. Heinonen offered the following reflection:

“AI is both a possibility and a threat. It is a possibility in the sense that it can be a very useful tool for us. It can enable us to not only engage with it, but also be creative with it—see what we can create using it, how we can manage it in a way that benefits us. It will not create a world of effortless learning. Learning is engaging with the world; it is shifting your neural connections. If that doesn’t happen, there won’t be any learning. AI doesn’t have intentionality. It only does the things we, humans, program it to do. That means it becomes even more important for us as humans to master the ability to have agency, to have the motivation to make a difference, to know what we want to achieve as individuals and as a community—to have purpose in life.”

Mr. Heinonen emphasised that true purpose and lasting motivation are often found through contributing to others—through acts of service, collaboration, and shared humanity. In a world shaped by rapid technological change, this message was a powerful reminder that human values must remain at the centre of education.

This message echoes the heart of the IB mission statement, which aims to develop caring, knowledgeable, and principled young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

The event left a lasting impression on our students, challenging them to think critically not just about technology, but about their own role in shaping a just, sustainable, and compassionate future.

Eliana López
IBDP Coordinator

On June 6–7, a group of our IB students had the exceptional opportunity to participate in the IB Day event in Montevideo, a gathering that brought together students and educators from across the country to explore the evolving role of education in a rapidly changing world. Our student representatives at the event - Luca C., Lorenzo D., Juan Ignacio G., Rebecca L., Emma M., and Uma S. - were selected based on the quality and depth of the questions they proposed in preparation for the session.

A highlight of the event was a conversation with Mr. Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director General of the International Baccalaureate. During this exchange, students engaged in a thought-provoking dialogue about how emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, might affect the IB’s core values of inquiry, critical thinking, and global citizenship.

Responding to our students’ question, Mr. Heinonen offered the following reflection:

“AI is both a possibility and a threat. It is a possibility in the sense that it can be a very useful tool for us. It can enable us to not only engage with it, but also be creative with it—see what we can create using it, how we can manage it in a way that benefits us. It will not create a world of effortless learning. Learning is engaging with the world; it is shifting your neural connections. If that doesn’t happen, there won’t be any learning. AI doesn’t have intentionality. It only does the things we, humans, program it to do. That means it becomes even more important for us as humans to master the ability to have agency, to have the motivation to make a difference, to know what we want to achieve as individuals and as a community—to have purpose in life.”

Mr. Heinonen emphasised that true purpose and lasting motivation are often found through contributing to others—through acts of service, collaboration, and shared humanity. In a world shaped by rapid technological change, this message was a powerful reminder that human values must remain at the centre of education.

This message echoes the heart of the IB mission statement, which aims to develop caring, knowledgeable, and principled young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

The event left a lasting impression on our students, challenging them to think critically not just about technology, but about their own role in shaping a just, sustainable, and compassionate future.

Eliana López
IBDP Coordinator