Carla Aerts

A leading international interdisciplinary expert at the intersection of education and emerging technologies, Carla is reshaping how we think about the future of learning. She previously served as Director of Futures at UCL’s Institute of Education and as Global Digital Director at Cambridge University Press.

As head of the Tmrw Institute EdTech think tank, Carla brought together a diverse range of stakeholders—from startups and leading universities to international policymakers and education leaders. She is also a member of Cambridge University Hughes Hall’s Digital Education Futures Initiative (DEFI).

Carla challenges conventional thinking about AI in learning. Her recent paper, “Challenging Hyper-personalization: Towards (Re-)Socializing Learning in Human-to-Human-to-Machine Dialogue,” was featured in UNESCO’s Digital Learning Week publication on AI’s educational disruptions.

A sought-after speaker, consultant, and mentor, Carla works with universities, schools, policymakers, consultancies, foundations, NGOs, and startups navigating the seismic shifts transforming education. She is particularly fascinated by AI’s impact on learning—how it introduces new forms of intelligence into human experience, and what that means for the future of humanity.