Title: Generative AI and Transformation of Educational Practices

Authors: Henriikka Vartiainen & Matti Tedre

Abstract:
Relying on the sociocultural theories of mediated action and post-phenomenological approaches in the philosophy of technology, this talk presents empirical findings and theoretical explorations of human-technology relationships in genAI. It first discusses how genAI technologies are transforming epistemic practices by influencing how people create knowledge and understandings of the world. The genAI training process slices the world into classifications that reflect the social and cultural categories of a narrow segment of society and the world—which then are read back off the system as if they represented an unbiased reality. Secondly, (gen)AI based tools are also changing social practices around knowledge creation and communication by connecting human and non-human agents in shared activities and decision-making. As this dynamic and intricate network of human and nonhuman agents unfolds, also the very context of learning and knowledge creation undergoes a transformation. These new types of human-technology relationships have given rise to complex ethical, environmental, and societal questions that demand moral and ethical decision-making in context-bound activities. Altogether, these interconnected transformations call for theoretical and empirical contributions for understanding the ways in which GenAI tools act as powerful mediators, shaping our actions and understanding of reality, and consequently, carry deep implications for educational institutions and practices.