Education in the age of AI: Lessons from the fiction narratives of Asimov and Ishiguro

Abstract

This article examines contemporary educational practices within the rapidly evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence. We do so by analysing the relationship between artificiality and naturalness in education. Education, often characterized as a human and thus natural-historical phenomenon, now appears increasingly shaped by artificial processes that seek to develop knowledge and skills as the building blocks for new generations’ social and professional success. Our concern lies in the convergence between recent pedagogical approaches and AI training processes, both of which emphasize data interpretation and decision-making skills. To critically examine these trends, we analyse two fictional works that offer insight into current and future educational practices: Kazuo Ishiguro’s dystopian novel <em>Never Let Me Go</em> and Asimov’s short story <em>Reason</em>. Through these fictional narratives and the insights of contemporary philosophers of education, we aim to draw critical lessons about the philosophical implications of the relationship between naturalness and artificiality in education. Specifically, we advocate for the role of the teacher and the value of educational practices often overlooked in competency-based and learning-centred models. As well as reflecting on how works of fiction can, by questioning and challenging current educational practices, improve our understanding of them.