Automation in education: trending issues concerning Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Discourses on technology have been marked by dichotomic, albeit predominantly optimistic, value judgments on the place of artifacts in educational contexts. In academia itself, digital artifacts are often advocated as solutions to educational problems that are, in fact, complex and historically rooted. This article tackles a question on the discourses that surround technologies based on Artificial Intelligence (AI): are old discourses - that hinge on the naturalization of technology - being reproduced? Based upon a review of academic literature on AI in education, conducted within the scope of a broader ongoing research project, the text presents an overview of key discussion points raised in the last five years in the field of Education. On the one hand, there seems to be great enthusiasm for AI and its promises; on the other, concerns are highlighted regarding teaching as a profession - in the extreme, worries with the replacement of the teacher by the machine, a fear that is also not new. However, our review suggests that, beyond unrestrained optimism or pessimism, discussion agendas address important points considered with basis on in-depth theorization and solid empirical data, which can open paths other than the development and acceptance of technologies in purely solutionist perspectives.