CONTEXT: Generative AI promises to revolutionize education and work, yet its uncritical adoption threatens the very cognitive skills needed for innovation and ethical decision-making.

• Digital Divide 44% of EU citizens lack basic digital skills, widening the gap in an AI-driven economy.
• Cognitive Crisis AI tools used as “crutches” undermine critical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• Skills Gap Creative industries need talents, but education overlooks critical competencies development.

As Professor Jay Lee, Director of the Industrial AI Center at U-Maryland, states: “AI should be the tool to augment the skills of the workforce, and not just to replace the things we do.”

RE<BOOT> addresses the paradox of our time: technology that promises to enhance human capabilities but, when used uncritically, can undermine the very cognitive skills – critical thinking, creativity, ethical reasoning – that make us human and drive innovation.

By training students to use AI as an assistant rather than a crutch, to verify rather than accept, to create rather than consume, RE<BOOT> prepares a generation of professionals who can thrive in an AI-driven economy while maintaining the humanistic values and critical competences essential for a democratic, inclusive, and innovative Europe.

The project contributes directly to the European Education Area 2025, the Digital Decade Policy Programme 2030, the European Skills Agenda, and the European Pillar of Social Rights—ensuring that the twin green and digital transitions benefit all Europeans, leaving no one behind.