Bringing the Philosophy of Technology into Dialogue with Educational Practice

Reflections on Artificial Intelligence in Technology Education

Abstract

Technology has long been interwoven with education, and over the past decades digital tools have played a central role in shaping both pedagogical practices and conceptions of what it means to learn, and to teach. When emerging technologies such as accessible artificial intelligence (AI) enter the educational landscape, they bring with them a complex interplay of promise and peril, sparking tensions around how and when AI can or should be used – or deliberately avoided. While much attention has been given to questions of implementation and ethics, less focus has been placed on how these technologies reshape the very conditions of education. Such questions cannot be resolved merely through practical or ethical guidelines; they require reflection not only on what AI can do, but also on how it mediates human intentions, judgment, and responsibility. The aim of this paper is therefore to explore how philosophical perspectives can illuminate the reflections that underpin technology teachers’ choices and support a more reflective engagement with AI in technology education. These reflections are grounded in interviews with three technology teachers who describe their encounters with AI in their teaching. The analysis is guided by philosophical dialogues, engaging teachers’ reflections with the work of philosophers whose ideas resonate in today’s debates on emerging technologies. By bringing together philosophers’ and practitioners’ reflections through our analysis, the paper situates AI in technology education within a broader societal context, under the themes AI technology as potential, as disruption, and with awareness. Such an orientation invites teachers to view AI not merely as a pedagogical tool, but also as a technology that both shapes and is shaped by human actions.