Education in the age of artificial intelligence

AI disrupts our relationship to knowledge, thus questioning the foundations of education. This transformation goes beyond the technical to touch upon the philosophical and political: how do we educate emancipated citizens in this new world? Initial proposals.

An anthropological mutation in our relationship to knowledge

The advent of artificial intelligence in our daily lives constitutes far more than a simple technological evolution: it is a profound anthropological transformation that questions the very foundations of our relationship to knowledge, to learning, and even to some extent to life itself. The educational field is naturally questioned. How do we educate individuals in a world where machines can generate texts, images, reasoning, actions, analyze data and even conduct constructive conversations with human beings? This question goes far beyond the technical framework to touch upon the philosophical, political and relational dimensions of the act of educating.

The cognitive transformation at work
Michel Serres, in his visionary work “Petite Poucette” (2012), had already identified the premises of this transformation. He observed how young generations, constantly connected to their phones, were developing new ways of thinking and interacting with information. His formulation is enlightening: “Above all, do not say that the student lacks the cognitive functions to assimilate knowledge thus distributed, since precisely these functions transform with the medium and through it.”

This intuition takes on a new dimension today with artificial intelligence. If writing and printing have already transformed our memory to the point that Montaigne preferred “a well-made head rather than a well-filled one,” AI provokes an even more radical mutation. We are no longer educating individuals who live in the same cognitive world as us: children’s practices, relationships to knowledge, and learning modes are becoming very different from ours. Our work as educators thus becomes a work of connection, between our culture and theirs, so that they can nourish and enrich each other.

The augmented human being: new subject of education
The concept of “augmented human being” takes on its full meaning here. It is not just about humans equipped with technological prostheses, but individuals whose cognitive capacities extend and transform through their constant interaction with artificial intelligences. This augmentation is neither good nor bad in itself: it is an anthropological fact that we must understand and integrate into our educational practices.
Today’s educator faces learners who can instantly access infinite information, generate complex texts, create images or analyze data with the help of AI. This reality disrupts the traditional hierarchy of knowledge and questions the very role of the teacher.

Reinventing pedagogy: from transmission to accompaniment

The lesson of the Ignorant Schoolmaster
Jacques Rancière, in “The Ignorant Schoolmaster,” offers us a valuable perspective for rethinking education in the age of AI. The story of this French teacher who manages to teach French to Dutch-speaking students without speaking their language illustrates a fundamental principle: learning is not necessarily a vertical transmission of knowledge and explanations, but can emerge from a dynamic of empowerment and collective intelligence.

This approach takes on particular resonance in the face of AI. If machines can instantly provide information and explanations, the educator’s role shifts toward accompaniment, facilitation, and creating environments conducive to autonomous and critical learning.

Pedagogical innovation as necessity
Artificial intelligence should not be perceived as a threat to education, but as an opportunity for reinvention. It forces us to break out of traditional transmission patterns to explore new pedagogical dynamics. Neurosciences provide us with valuable insights into these new learning modalities, showing how the brain adapts and reconfigures itself in the face of new cognitive tools.

The challenge is no longer so much to transmit knowledge as to develop meta-cognitive skills: learning to learn, to question, to validate, to create meaning in an ocean of information. The educator becomes an architect of learning experiences, a guide through complexity rather than an exclusive holder of knowledge.

The political dimension of AI education

Beyond media education
The political question is essential for me in a reflection on education and AI. It is not just about developing critical thinking regarding media, but understanding the issues of power, control and citizenship at play in our technological choices. Where are the AIs we use hosted? Who controls these technologies? What biases do they convey? These questions are not technical but profoundly political.

Education must integrate reflection on the “strategic position of different actors” in the digital ecosystem. There is a tendency to consider technology as neutral, to believe in “an absence of the political” in these questions. This belief is dangerous because it masks the power relations and societal choices that structure our relationship to AI.

Educating emancipated citizens
The challenge is to educate citizens capable of understanding and acting on their technological environment, not mere passive consumers of digital tools. This implies developing a critical awareness of AI mechanisms, its potential as well as its limits, but also its societal and ethical implications.

Emancipation comes through the ability to dialogue with these “new agents of our life” that are AIs, not in a relationship of submission or rejection, but in conscious and controlled interaction. The notion of hospitality takes on new meaning: how do we welcome these new forms of presence into our social and educational space?

Psychosocial skills: the human at the heart of education

Beyond disciplinary knowledge
Education in the age of AI cannot be limited to traditional disciplinary knowledge. Psychosocial skills become central: knowing how to relate, communicate, collaborate, show empathy, manage emotions. These skills take on new importance when it comes to interacting not only with other humans but also with artificial intelligences.

The example of the Ministry of Justice, which works on developing these skills with populations who have been poorly endowed with them, shows the societal importance of this approach. This is not a supplementary soul to traditional education, but a fundamental element for navigating a complex and interconnected world.

Preserving and cultivating our humanity
Faced with AI, the question of our humanity arises acutely. What distinguishes us from machines? What makes human intelligence and sensitivity specific? Education must allow us to cultivate these properly human dimensions: creativity, intuition, empathy, the ability to create meaning, to feel and to create connections.

Montaigne reminds us of the importance of having “a well-made head,” not only in acquiring knowledge but also “in relationships.” This wisdom takes on particular resonance when it comes to educating individuals capable of maintaining their humanity while taking advantage of the possibilities offered by AI.

Toward a transformative education

Artificial intelligence confronts us with an unprecedented educational challenge, but also with an extraordinary opportunity to rethink our practices and educational purposes. It is not about resisting change or blindly submitting to it, but accompanying it in a reflective and critical manner.

Tomorrow’s education will have to articulate several dimensions: understanding the anthropological mutations underway, pedagogical innovation centered on empowerment and collective intelligence, political awareness of power issues related to AI, and the development of psychosocial skills that make us human.

This transformation will not happen without tensions or resistance. It requires educators to profoundly question their practices and their role. But it also opens the way to a richer, more democratic and more emancipatory education, where the human remains at the center, augmented but not diminished by technology.

The challenge is not to train AI users, but citizens capable of understanding, critiquing and transforming the world in which they live. This is the challenge and promise of education in the age of artificial intelligence: not to undergo change, but to become its conscious and creative actors.