(Re)Thinking the role of artificial intelligence in education

In recent years, the debate on the new challenges introduced by artificial intelligence (AI) in educational systems has been enriched by authoritative contributions from numerous international institutions(Holmes et al., 2022; UNESCO, 2019; Vuorikari et al., 2022), leaving, however, a sense of uncertainty in practitioners working directly in these contexts. While AI tools (generative, translation, search, etc...) are already in the hands of users, they are still at an early stage of development, hinting the profile of potential opportunities and issues that will soon be knocking at the school’s door. The contribution, of a theoretical-critical nature, frames the issue of AI in relation to the debate between “apocalyptic” and “integrated", highlighting the connection between AI technologies and the post-capitalist economic model. The aim is to propose a reflection around two main directions: 1) the promotion of an education for critical, responsible and ethical thinking (Rivoltella, 2020), by emphasising the priority of “logos” over “techne” (Guerra, 2010); 2) the activation of educational practices capable of valuing processes over products (Floridi, 2022), competence over knowledge (Castoldi, 2015), artisanship (Taleb, 2018) over automation without awareness.