ABSTRACT
Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications are entering all domains of our lives, including education. Besides benefits, the use of AI can also entail ethical risks, which are increasingly appearing on legislators’ agendas. Many of these risks are context-specific and increase when vulnerable individuals are involved, asymmetries of power exist, and human rights and democratic values are at stake. Surprisingly, regulators thus far have paid only little attention to the specific risks arising in the context of AI in education (AIED). In this chapter, I assess the ethical challenges posed by AIED, taking as a normative framework the seven requirements for Trustworthy AI set out in the Ethics Guidelines of the European Commission’s High-Level Expert Group on AI. After an overview of the Guidelines’ broader context), I examine each requirement in the educational domain and assess the pitfalls that should be addressed. I pay particular attention to the role of education in shaping people’s minds, and the manner in which this role can be used both to empower and exploit individuals. I note that AIED’s main strength – offering education on a wider scale through more flexible and individualized learning methods – also constitutes a liability when left unchecked. Finally, I discuss various pathways that policymakers should consider to foster Trustworthy AIED beyond the adoption of guidelines, before concluding.
