Critical Studies of AI & Education

This page is based on a survey of 170 education experts from around the world. They were asked how we should study the use of AI in education and what impacts it will have. All of these experts agreed that we need to study AI critically. AI is not a neutral tool; it is built by companies whose main goal is to maximize profits. Because company incentives do not always align with what is best for students and teachers, we must ask critical questions. As we bring these tools into schools, we need to understand how they are designed, what risks they pose, and how to implement them in a fair and unbiased way.

AI is not just a tool.

AI in education has considerable social, ethical, and political impacts. As we engage with it, we have to consider who it helps, who it harms, and the dynamics that it changes between students and teachers. Focusing on its features or the way it might be able to save time is not enough. We also have to look at the downstream effects of these changes.

"Critical Studies refers to a field of inquiry that examines the social, cultural, political, and ethical implications of AI within educational settings — questioning assumptions, power dynamics, biases, and potential consequences." — survey response Q1_105

Profit Not People.

AI tools are designed and run by companies who have their own incentives. While they may seek to benefit those that use the technology, their priority is to generate profit because of this. Anyone using the technology must consider why a model might be responding in the way it does and how to properly engage with it to ensure that it is really helping us towards our goals.

"Like other technological breakthroughs, AI is designed and run by Tech giants. Along with this serious issue of power dynamics, the ethical implications of using AI in education — institutionally and socially — make it necessary to study." — survey response Q2_037

Biggest risks for the most vulnerable.

Every risk that AI poses to education concentrates on marginalized and differently abled learners. These are often the students who have the least ability to advocate for themselves, especially when speaking directly to the technology. It's important that educators and leaders understand this risk and place proper guidelines to ensure that vulnerable students are able to benefit from this technology. Without these protections in place, we risk enlarging the education gap between the privileged and the under-resourced. Experts named equity, privacy and surveillance, and bias as the key risk areas.

"How do AI technologies impact equity and inclusivity, particularly for marginalized and differently-abled learners? What ethical considerations arise — data privacy, surveillance, algorithmic bias — and how can they be addressed?" — survey response Q3_035

Engage, don't ban.

While almost all scholars view AI critically and emphasize the need to engage cautiously, engagement is still a must. Our goal as educators should be to use and understand the tools, not to boycott them. While we may have valid concerns about the impacts AI will have on our students with technology, regardless of our attempts to shield them from it, if we want to better prepare them for the world in which they will live, we must understand the challenges and opportunities that these technologies will create for them.

"We cannot simply lock the classroom door and pretend AI does not exist. Our responsibility is to help students understand how to co-exist with these systems critically and ethically, rather than pretending we can ban them." — survey response Q6_012

AI literacy is less about technique and more about understanding.

Our goal as educators is to prepare our students for the world ahead of them. While AI does have the potential to save us time and improve student outcomes, our focus at the moment needs to be on the risks it will have for the classroom and the students. Experts agree that ethics, human agency, judgment, and the moral aspects of this technology use are the most important skills that teachers need to learn. The technique will grow with time as both students and teachers engage with the tools, but without a strong ethical foundation, our use of these tools has the potential to develop in a negative dependent way. We must place a strong emphasis on proper use, not just skilled use.

"From a critical-studies viewpoint, AI literacy extends beyond mere technical skills. It encompasses a profound grasp of the ethical, social, and cultural ramifications of AI — and the capacity to make informed, thoughtful decisions about its use." — survey response Q5_106

"We must teach students to ask who built the model, what data it was trained on, and whose interests it serves. That is true AI literacy." — survey response Q5_042

The experts won't hand you a verdict on AI in the classroom. What they offer is sharper: a set of questions to keep asking. Who benefits? Who's left behind? What is this really teaching? Keep asking them.