The Future of Education in Digital Environments: Editorial for the Topical Collection AI in Education: Ethical and Epistemic Perspectives

Aleksandra Vučković, Vlasta Sikimić, Marina Budić

Abstract: The topical collection AI in Education: Ethical and Epistemic Perspectives examines the transformative impact of advanced digital solutions on education, with a focus on large language models (LLMs) and predictive models. As AI tools increasingly shape teaching, learning, and assessment practices, a need for philosophical inquiries, especially those concerning responsibility, intellectual virtues, fairness, and inclusion, emerges. The papers in this collection examine the potential of AI tools to both enhance and undermine learning processes, pressing questions about cognitive offloading, deskilling, and the digital divide, along with the impact of these tools on human agency. AI tools, as presented in this collection, can also improve accessibility, personalization, and inclusion in educational environments. The collection argues that responsible implementation of AI in education demands sustained ethical, epistemic, and pedagogical reflection. The main conclusion is that the future of education depends not on whether advanced digital solutions are adopted, but on how critically and responsibly they are integrated.

External IDs:doi:10.1007/s44206-026-00247-5