ChatGPT, Copilot, Grok, Mistral, NotebookLM: artificial intelligence tools are becoming widespread in schools, universities, and businesses. However, until now, there has been no way for users to know how reliable these educational chatbots are. AI Score, a new tool developed by researchers at UNamur, fills this gap by measuring the educational reliability of chatbots. "AI Score is to chatbots what the speedometer was to cars," says Professor Michaël Lobet, one of the authors of the research. "The arrival of the automobile at the beginning of the 20th century revolutionized usage... but it was the invention of the speedometer that made it a controlled and reliable tool. Today, educational chatbots and other chatbots used in businesses in general are at a similar stage: powerful and exciting, but without reliable control instruments. The AI Score aims to be that speedometer," he explains.

In the same way that NutriScore, EcoScore, and PEB certification help citizens make informed choices, AI Score provides a simple and immediate reading of the level of trust that can be placed in a chatbot. "At a time when trust in generative AI is becoming a societal issue, AI Score guides teachers and companies in their choice of tools to put in the hands of their students or customers," says Dr. Miguël Dhyne, scientific collaborator at UNamur, educator, and physics researcher. "It can also help institutions evaluate AI solutions before deployment or verify their reliability over time," he adds. 

It evaluates four essential dimensions:

• Initial performance: Does the AI respond correctly the first time?
• Robustness: does it maintain its response when questioned?
• Self-correction ability: does it recognize and correct its mistakes?
• Unreliability: does it contradict itself or lose track of the conversation?

To evaluate these four dimensions, each chatbot is subjected to a test carried out under identical conditions to ensure fairness and comparability. 

The chatbots are first subjected to a set of 10 multiple-choice questions, carefully selected to highlight any errors or hesitations in the AI. These questions are therefore designed to be discriminating and have a balanced level of difficulty. 

After each response, the chatbot is prompted again to verify that it maintains its position, admits an error, or does not contradict itself. 

Since AI does not always respond in the same way from one test to another, the test is performed five times. This ensures that the result truly reflects the capabilities of the chatbot. 

These criteria are based on the standards ISO/IEC TR 24028:2020 and ISO/IEC 42001:2023.

Each model tested is then given an overall score and a letter grade, similar to the scores used in food or energy ratings.

It has recently been demonstrated that methods for ranking large language models (LLM leaderboards/Chatbot Arena) based on popular votes are not very robust to changes in a few preference votes. Malicious votes, evaluation biases, popularity effects, or data leaks can therefore impact the rankings on which business, investment, marketing communication, and educational and technical decisions are based. "In contrast, the AI Score offers a robust, reliable, and transparent method that anyone can apply independently to judge the relevance of their tested platform," add the Namur researchers.

The AI Score is available free of charge to the general public, teachers, journalists, institutions, and anyone wishing to objectively compare the performance of chatbots: https://aiscore.academy

The site offers:

• free access to the methodology,
• examples of scores,
• educational resources,
• and, soon, enhanced documentation based on feedback from early users.

Making the protocol available to the general public makes it easy to reproduce and apply to different models. The researchers therefore invite the community to familiarize themselves with the tool and contribute to its improvement. The AI Score is an open initiative that is designed to be scalable and to continuously improve based on user feedback. 

The AI Score was developed by a multidisciplinary team of researchers at UNamur: 

• Prof. Michaël Lobet: F.R.S.-FNRS qualified researcher at the University of Namur and Professor in the Department of Physics. He is also affiliated with Harvard University.
• Dr. Miguël Dhyne: scientific collaborator at UNamur, educator and researcher in physics, expert in educational innovation, EdTech, and educational AI. His role is to design practical solutions and train teachers in the use of digital tools.
• Laurence Dumortier: holder of a PhD in Mathematical Sciences from the University of Namur, IT specialist at the TICE Unit (UNamur/FaSEF). She also supports teachers in mastering educational technologies.
• Jean-Roch Meurisse: IT specialist at the TICE Unit (UNamur/FaSEF), where he is responsible for co-administering and developing the institutional LMS. He is responsible for supporting teachers and researchers in the selection, implementation, and development of digital teaching tools. 

The tool has been submitted for scientific publication and is currently being reviewed. 

The University of Namur is establishing itself as a key player in artificial intelligence (AI) by integrating this technology into its teaching programs, conducting cutting-edge research on the subject, and putting its expertise at the service of society.

International Women's Day (UN), also known as "International Day of Struggle for Women's Rights" (UN Women), is celebrated every year on March 8. This day highlights the struggles for women's rights and, more broadly, for the elimination of inequalities between women and men.  

Although International Women's Day was made official by the United Nations in 1977, following on from the International Women's Year proclaimed in 1975 by the UN General Assembly, its origins date back to the social movements that emerged in North America and Europe at the turn of the 20th century. 

The fight against gender discrimination is a priority at UNamur, which is firmly committed to promoting gender equality, non-discrimination, and respect for diversity.  

UNamur's goal is to create an inclusive university community where everyone can thrive, regardless of gender. By embracing diversity and taking concrete measures, the university affirms its commitment to a more equitable society based on the values of justice, inclusion, and respect for human dignity. 

The RFIE has its roots in a worrying observation: our education system is struggling to fulfill its missions of efficiency and equity. PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) surveys reveal skill levels below the average for industrialized countries and a chronic inability to compensate for social inequalities. In a European context where education is seen as a lever for the development of "human capital," the Wallonia-Brussels Federation wanted to take action. Inspired by the Lisbon objectives (2009), the reform aims to enhance the status of the teaching profession, strengthen professionalization, and better prepare future teachers for the diversity of school populations. It aims to profoundly transform the culture of training in order to improve the success of all students.

Teacher training is now organized around the ages and needs of students, the skills to be acquired as part of the evolution of the profession, and the Pact for Excellence in Education.

Each program is built around six areas: subject-specific training, communication, training through practice, teaching and pedagogy, humanities and social sciences, and research in education and teaching. 

Students therefore learn to combine knowledge, practice, and research to become reflective teachers who are able to evaluate their actions, adjust their methods, and collaborate with their peers.

One of the pillars of the reform concerns taking student diversity into account. "Not everyone learns in the same way or at the same pace," points out Sandrine Biémar, vice dean of FaSEF. "We want our teachers to be able to diversify their practices without falling into extreme individualization. "
Courses in the psychology of learning, the sociology of education, and differentiated instruction allow us to approach diversity as a source of richness. "Understanding that you yourself have a particular cognitive style," adds Sephora Boucenna, "is already a way of embracing diversity. This leads to offering a variety of learning paths, rather than judging the student as incapable."

For students, this change translates into more appropriate teaching methods and a better understanding of their needs with a view to reducing inequalities. The goal is clear: to avoid repeating a year as a response to difficulties, to train competent citizens, and to contribute to a school system that regains its role as a social ladder.

Another major change is that students now benefit from longer internships that are better supervised and integrated into their training program. "Taking on an intern isn't just about opening up your classroom, observing them, and evaluating them; it's also about being able to support them," emphasizes Sandrine Biémar. That's why UNamur offers a specific certificate for internship supervisors.

This support facilitates the transition to employment. Surveys show that between 30 and 40% of young teachers leave the profession within the first five years. "By strengthening training in and through practice, we want to consolidate their entry into the profession and prevent them from dropping out," she adds.

Ensuring continuity between the different levels of education is also a key objective of this reform. "Thanks to the new five-section structure (see illustration)," explains Sandrine Biémar, "a kindergarten teacher has a better understanding of what is at stake in the early years of primary school, and a secondary school teacher can see how learning is built up from the ground up. This consistency helps to avoid disruptions and strengthen continuity in the students' educational journey."

To this end, UNamur is collaborating with HENALLUX within a consortium. "Universities and colleges used to work in parallel," recalls Sandrine Biémar. "Now we are working together to develop curricula and teaching methods. Although UNamur has a long tradition of training teachers for upper secondary school, it is now involved in training teachers from kindergarten to 6th grade."

These collaborations extend to continuing education thanks to the Salle des Pros, a UNamur structure that brings together continuing education centers for teachers. 

"Through this reform, we are creating a coherent and sustainable network of educational stakeholders," summarizes Sephora Boucenna. "By linking initial training, research, and continuing education, we are laying the foundations for a strong, reflective, and supportive teaching profession." 

Democracy is by no means a fixed concept. It is the subject of debate, especially today. Louis Carré, Director of the Department of Philosophy and member of the Espace philosophique de Namur (Institut ESPHIN), proposes a three-dimensional definition: a political regime, a state of law and a way of forming society.

"Etymologically, democracy is a political regime that consists in giving power to the people," he reminds us. "Our Western democracies today are based on the idea that the people are sovereign, without governing directly. From this arises a tension between ideal democracy and real democracy."Vincent Jacquet, professor in the Department of Social, Political and Communication Sciences and president of the Transitions Institute supports the point: "Democracy is an ideal of citizen self-government, but it is in tension with more centralizing, authoritarian logics. [...] Our political systems are crisscrossed by these different tensions, with both authoritarian logics increasingly present, including in our own country, and logics of participation that are sometimes accompanied by a great deal of hope and disappointment too."

The second pillar according to Louis Carré: the rule of law. Democracy guarantees the fundamental rights of all citizens through the constitution. But here again, beware of paradoxes: "One could indeed imagine laws passed by a majority of representatives or by a referendum, but which contravene fundamental rights" the philosopher stresses. Democracy cannot therefore be summed up by the majority principle alone.

Finally, democracy is also a way of forming society. It is based on real pluralism: diversity of opinions, beliefs and values. "This presupposes the existence of a relatively autonomous public space in the face of the power in place, which at times challenges the decisions taken by the governments that have been elected,"insists Louis Carré.

In this context, what is the university's responsibility? Louis Carré begins by reminding us of a simple fact: a large proportion of our elected representatives have passed through university benches. But its teaching mission doesn't stop there. "It's about training enlightened citizens, not just rulers. Universities must offer quality higher education, open to as many people as possible", he asserts.

"Democracy does indeed presuppose citizens capable of debating, reflecting, problematizing issues", adds Sephora Boucenna, Dean of the Faculty of Education and Training Sciences and member of UNamur's Institut de Recherches en Didactiques et Éducation (IRDENA). It's all about training reflective minds, capable of questioning their times.

Universities also train those who, tomorrow, will educate future generations: teachers. And here again, democracy is at stake.

In addition to teaching, universities also have a research and social service mission. It produces knowledge that can enlighten public policy, but also question it. This critical function presupposes real independence from politics. "To analyze democratic mechanisms with lucidity, including those that governments put in place, the university must retain its freedom of research and speech," insists Vincent Jacquet.

This critical function of the university presupposes strong independence. In Belgium, however, university funding is largely a matter for the political authorities. "Celane must not mean being placed under tutelage", warns Louis Carré. "Conducting critical research that doesn't satisfy short-term sponsors requires independence, including in terms of resources. We need a large number of researchers who can analyze different types of dynamics. The more we cut research funding, as is the case today, the fewer researchers we'll have and therefore the less capacity for independent analysis and diversity of perspectives, insists Vincent Jacquet.

The "Université en colère" movement, recently launched within the universities of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, intends to denounce the effects of definancement. Its representatives are calling for "guarantee the conditions for the development of an open, independent, quality university accessible to the greatest number. Faced with the social, economic and political challenges of our time, and because other choices for society, and therefore budgets, are possible, it is more essential than ever to strengthen the institutions and players at the heart of knowledge production."

Democracy is therefore not limited to elections or institutions. It is based on collective vigilance, carried by citizens, knowledge... and the places where this knowledge is built. In this respect, universities are an essential link in the chain of democratic vitality. Provided it remains independent, accessible and open to society.

"Democracy is not just a matter of institutions. It's about citizens who bring it to life and organize themselves to assert their perspectives at different times", insists Vincent Jacquet. A clear invitation not to remain a spectator, but to participate, with lucidity and exigency, in the construction of a common democratic future.