AI in education - empowering learning with human expertise
By Aristeu Duarte, Director, Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies
The 2025 International Day of Education highlights a crucial question for our times: How do we preserve human agency in an increasingly automated educational landscape? While Artificial Intelligence (AI) reshapes our approach to learning, the answer lies not in resisting technological advancement but in understanding how to harness it while maintaining meaningful human control and decision-making.
Redefining human agency in education
The integration of AI tools like ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot into educational processes represents more than just technological advancement – it challenges us to reexamine the role of human expertise. Education professionals aren't passive observers of this transformation; they are active architects of how AI serves learning objectives. Their ability to shape, direct, and override AI recommendations ensures that technology remains a tool for human empowerment rather than replacement.
The Human in the Loop: a critical framework
At the heart of preserving human agency is the "Human in the Loop" principle – where education professionals maintain decisive oversight at every stage of AI implementation. This means:
- Reviewing and validating all AI-generated educational content
- Ensuring contextual appropriateness and cultural sensitivity
- Adapting materials to meet specific learning needs
- Making final decisions on educational approaches and content use
Empowering Educational Expertise
To maintain human agency while maximizing AI's potential, three fundamental principles should guide our approach:
- Intentional Integration: Education professionals must maintain conscious control over how AI is integrated into educational processes. Every AI-generated resource passes through expert human review, ensuring technology serves rather than drives educational objectives.
- Critical Oversight: While AI can generate content and analyze data at unprecedented speeds, human expertise remains essential in evaluating and contextualizing these outputs. The human-in-the-loop approach ensures that all AI contributions align with educational goals and values.
- Active Skill Development: As AI capabilities evolve, education professionals must continuously develop their expertise to guide these tools effectively. This ongoing growth ensures they can masterfully direct AI to enhance learning while maintaining meaningful human control.
Shaping the future of learning
The advancement of AI in education isn't about diminishing human agency – it's about enhancing our ability to make informed decisions and create meaningful learning experiences. By maintaining clear boundaries between machine capabilities and human judgment, we can ensure that technology serves as a tool for empowerment rather than a force for automation.
As we observe the 2025 International Day of Education, let us remember that the future of education lies not in choosing between human expertise and Artificial Intelligence but in consciously shaping how these forces work together.
Editor's Note: This article demonstrates our commitment to transparency in AI use. While the core ideas and arguments are human-generated, AI tools were used to assist with grammar checking, language refinement, and content enhancement. This approach exemplifies the human-in-the-loop principle discussed in the article itself, where AI serves as a tool to augment, not replace, human expertise.