The rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) is bringing new opportunities in education, offering higher efficiency and smarter solutions for higher education. On March 27, 2025, the International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI), officially launched DeepSeek on IIOE (DS-I) to the global network of partner higher education institutions (HEIs) and relevant stakeholders. This marks a milestone as UNESCO-ICHEI's flagship initiative—the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE)—successfully integrates the open-source Large Language Model (LLM) DeepSeek into its digital learning platform, and DS-I is officially in full operation. DS-I aims to provide detailed guidance and support to IIOE partner institutions and users, promoting wider utilization of AI-powered functionalities. By offering cutting-edge AI to empower university educators worldwide, this initiative highlights UNESCO-ICHEI's commitment to sharing its technological advancements with the world, particularly benefiting developing countries. It also underscores UNESCO-ICHEI’s vision of working with global partners to drive the digital transformation of education.

IIOE Took Swift Action: DeepSeek Enhances IIOE Learning Platform

DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company that develops large language models (LLMs), has garnered global attention since its two open-source AI models were released in late 2024 and early 2025. Known for their low cost, high efficiency, and advanced logical reasoning capabilities, these models set a new standard for AI-powered tools. In response to this technological breakthrough, UNESCO-ICHEI swiftly incorporated DeepSeek into the IIOE platform, leveraging its powerful logical reasoning capabilities to support university educators and administrators in developing more targeted teaching and research tools. The AI-powered DS-I assistant, built on DeepSeek’s advanced natural language processing, has been available for trial use since March 1, 2025. This intelligent assistant now provides 24/7 multilingual support to IIOE’s vast network—spanning 99 countries, 1,100+ institutions, and over 20,000 registered users. This initiative is accelerating the adoption of AI in education, particularly empowering educators in developing countries with advanced AI tools and platforms, which play a crucial role in enhancing digital competencies across higher education institutions worldwide.

DS-I on IIOE Platform

The Launch Event gainedGlobal Attention to DS-I

The online launch event attracted significant attention from higher education institutions and professionals worldwide. The event attracted 860 registered participants from 93 countries, with over 330 attendees joining live to explore and discuss AI applications in higher education. The IIOE Management Centre team introduced the DS-I platform, demonstrating DeepSeek’s capabilities in educational settings and previewing an upcoming AI empowerment course for university faculty. This course will offer structured training programs from basic to advanced levels, equipping educators with the skills needed to integrate AI into teaching and research. Additionally, the event showcased IIOE’s latest platform upgrades designed to enhance user experience, expand resource-sharing channels, and strengthen global collaboration among educators.

During the launch, Ms. BI Xiaohan, Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI, underscored the transformative impact of AI in education: “Integrating DeepSeek into IIOE expands the possibilities for AI-driven education, offering diverse AI applications for higher education professionals. This initiative empowers educators, administrators, and students worldwide by making AI-driven educational tools more accessible. We look forward to deepening our collaboration with international partner institutions to localize AI applications and improve teaching quality, management efficiency, and research capabilities.”

UNESCO-ICHEI Team at the Launch Event

Launch Event gainedGlobal Attention

China’s Cutting-Edge AI Technology Drives Digital Transformation in Education

IIOE is dedicated to bringing together high-quality global resources and accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in education. By integrating DeepSeek, IIOE empowers educators worldwide with intelligent and personalized teaching tools while acting as a bridge for China's cutting-edge AI innovations to drive global education progress. As the first international online education platform within the UNESCO system to incorporate the Chinese AI model, IIOE is actively advancing China’s AI innovations in global higher education, particularly supporting developing countries in accelerating their digital transformation. Looking ahead, UNESCO-ICHEI will continue to strengthen partnerships with technology companies, international organizations, and higher education institutions, further expanding the application of Chinese AI technology in global education. This effort reflects UNESCO-ICHEI ’s commitment to fostering an open, shared, and collaborative global education ecosystem.

Since its establishment in December 2019, the IIOE ecosystem has embraced the principles of co-construction, co-consultation, and co-sharing, fostering collaborations with higher education institutions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to build an inclusive and open international education platform. The IIOE global network has rapidly expanded, now including 120+ partner institutions from 40 countries, 45 international organizations, and 36 corporate partners. The integration of DeepSeek further strengthens IIOE’s role and influence in this global network. By providing affordable and intelligent AI tools, IIOE empowers faculty, students, and education leaders in developing countries with cutting-edge digital resources and technological support. This initiative is set to drive long-term educational innovation and shape the future of AI-powered higher education worldwide.

Click the link to explore DS-I and related information on IIOE's official website: https://www.iioe.org

About UNESCO-ICHEI

The International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI) was jointly established by UNESCO and the Shenzhen Municipal People's Government of the People's Republic of China on June 8, 2016. It was approved by the 38th General Conference of UNESCO held on November 13, 2015, as the Category 2 Centre focusing on higher education in China.

UNESCO-ICHEI works closely around the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Education 2030). Relying on the advantages of Shenzhen's information and communications technology (ICT) industry, UNESCO-ICHEI addresses the digital transformation needs of developing countries by fostering innovation in higher education institutions (HEIs) through technology and enhancing the digital competencies of the higher education workforce.