PhD Janika Leoste

About the Expert

Professor Janika Leoste is Assistant Professor of Educational Robotics at Tallinn University and Associate Professor of IT Didactics at Tallinn University of Technology. After a successful 25-year career in the IT industry, she shifted her focus to education to help shape the next generation of learners.

Estonia, where she works, is known globally for its educational innovation and student success in PISA rankings — something Leoste attributes to high teacher autonomy and active, hands-on learning methods.

She also leads the Edge of Space Lab at Tallinn University and works with robotics and STEAM education, helping young people build the creativity and critical thinking skills that will keep them competitive in a world driven by artificial intelligence.

Learning wasn't just about knowledge — but staying human in a world of machines?

As artificial intelligence moves deeper into classrooms, we risk forgetting something essential: learning is not just about facts and formulas, but about hands-on experience, social interaction, and human presence. In this inspiring conversation, Professor Janika Leoste, a leading voice in educational robotics, challenges us to rethink what truly makes learning meaningful.

From giving students a "body" in remote learning, to redefining the role of teachers in the AI age, her insights remind us that technology alone is not enough. Education needs purpose, presence, and people who lead by example.

What happens when learning becomes disconnected from the real world?

Professor Leoste believes that as education moves into the digital and AI space, we risk creating learning environments where students are present virtually, but disconnected physically and socially.

Remote learning without physical presence, she argues, creates a shallow learning experience. A student on a video call is just "a picture on the wall." But give that student a telepresence robot — a body in the classroom — and suddenly they can move, interact, and truly engage.

She challenges the idea that more digital tools automatically mean better learning. Every new tool demands time, preparation, and new skills from teachers — and when educators are already overloaded, throwing new technology at them without support is simply a waste of time and resources.

Leoste compares generative AI to alcohol: it feels powerful at first, giving you a temporary boost, but it doesn't solve your deeper problems. Long-term, meaningful learning requires human effort, reflection, and real-life context. AI can help, but only if we understand when and why to use it.

Looking to the future, she argues that equity in learning environments — whether physical or virtual — will be essential. Students learning remotely and those in the classroom must feel equal, engaged, and motivated to learn. Teachers, too, must reclaim their role as role models, inspiring students not only through knowledge, but by challenging them, working alongside them, and showing what it means to grow as a human being.