This opening chapter introduces a systems approach to exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and education, focusing on how AI can be harnessed to meaningfully transform basic education systems, especially in the Global South. The authors define education systems as the complex ecology of institutions—schools, curricula, teachers, and governance mechanisms—that collectively shape learning opportunities for the majority of the world’s children. AI is conceptualized as technologies that can simulate human intelligence to undertake tasks such as communication, reasoning, and learning. Rather than assuming inherent benefits, the chapter adopts an open-minded yet cautious stance, emphasizing past disappointments with educational technology and the importance of distinguishing between marginal improvements and true systemic transformation. The authors highlight three central domains for examining AI’s contributions in education: fostering AI literacy, enhancing the effectiveness of educational delivery, and improving the relevance of school curricula to evolving societal and workforce demands. The chapter places a particular emphasis on the Global South, where resource constraints, demographic realities, and system fragility pose distinctive challenges—and where the bulk of the world’s youth reside. The argument is made that AI’s role cannot be understood in isolation; instead, a systems perspective is necessary, one that acknowledges the dynamic interplay between curriculum, teachers, assessments, and broader organizational, policy, and social contexts. A systems approach requires adapting AI solutions to local priorities and realities, ensuring that technology does not exacerbate existing inequalities or distract from foundational challenges—such as literacy and numeracy—while also seizing opportunities to leapfrog traditional constraints. By integrating complexity science concepts such as feedback loops and emergence, the authors illustrate how interventions in one part of the system can have far-reaching, sometimes unpredictable, consequences. The chapter further outlines the rationale for the book’s focus, exploring why educational institutions must contend with AI in light of labor market transformations, emerging needs for human and ethical skills and twenty-first century skills, and the potential for AI-enabled organizational improvements. It reviews current definitions and applications of AI in education, addressing both its potential and its limitations. The authors preview subsequent analysis on integrating AI into curricula to build AI literacy, leveraging AI to improve student learning and school functioning, and mitigating the risks of displacement and inequality. Throughout, the text calls for multi-level, evidence-based, ethically conscious policies as well as collaboration across government, industry, and educational stakeholders. Ultimately, the chapter sets the stage for a nuanced investigation into whether—and how—AI can deliver on its promise to transform education systems in meaningful, equitable, and sustainable ways.