[2507.06878] Do AI tutors empower or enslave learners? Toward a critical use of AI in education

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Computer Science > Computers and Society

arXiv:2507.06878 (cs)

[Submitted on 9 Jul 2025]

Title:Do AI tutors empower or enslave learners? Toward a critical use of AI in education

Authors:Lucile Favero, Juan-Antonio Pérez-Ortiz, Tanja Käser, Nuria Oliver<br>View a PDF of the paper titled Do AI tutors empower or enslave learners? Toward a critical use of AI in education, by Lucile Favero and 3 other authors

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Abstract:The increasing integration of AI tools in education presents both opportunities and challenges, particularly regarding the development of the students' critical thinking skills. This position paper argues that while AI can support learning, its unchecked use may lead to cognitive atrophy, loss of agency, emotional risks, and ethical concerns, ultimately undermining the core goals of education. Drawing on cognitive science and pedagogy, the paper explores how over-reliance on AI can disrupt meaningful learning, foster dependency and conformity, undermine the students' self-efficacy, academic integrity, and well-being, and raise concerns about questionable privacy practices. It also highlights the importance of considering the students' perspectives and proposes actionable strategies to ensure that AI serves as a meaningful support rather than a cognitive shortcut. The paper advocates for an intentional, transparent, and critically informed use of AI that empowers rather than diminishes the learner.

Comments:<br>Applications of Generative AI to support teaching and learning in Higher Education, co-located with AIED 2025. Palermo Italy

Subjects:

Computers and Society (cs.CY); Human-Computer Interaction (cs.HC)

Cite as:<br>arXiv:2507.06878 [cs.CY]

(or<br>arXiv:2507.06878v1 [cs.CY] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2507.06878

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arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

Submission history<br>From: Lucile Favero [view email]<br>[v1]<br>Wed, 9 Jul 2025 14:15:49 UTC (178 KB)

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