Educational leaders play a significant role in setting direction, creating a positive school culture, motivating staff, and enhancing students’ academic achievement. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has required educational leaders to navigate times of VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity) and BANI (Brittle, Anxious, Nonlinear, and Incomprehensible).

Society faces challenges in this disruptive era of rapid technological change. Despite these challenges and concerns, it is important to note the benefits of technology in education. The effective use of digital learning tools in classrooms can increase student engagement, help teachers improve their lesson plans, and facilitate personalized learning. It also assists students in building essential 21st-century skills. Such changes require educational leaders with leadership and educational management capabilities, which will be essential for driving the education system at national and international levels.

The Office of Basic Education Commission, Ministry of Education Thailand, and Thaksin University are hosting an academic virtual conference titled “The 4^th Thailand-Japan Educational Leaders Symposium: Artificial Intelligence in Education (TJ-ELS 2025)” on 18 December 2025. This conference will serve as a platform for school leaders, teachers, educators, and participants from Thailand and Japan to exchange academic ideas on Artificial Intelligence in Education in challenging times. The conference will call for abstracts for oral and poster presentations in the research symposium.