Algorithms Vs. Autonomy: the Risks of Dependence on Ai in the Critical Training of Students
Year: 2025
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: This article critically examines the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) on education, highlighting how algorithmic mediation can compromise students’ intellectual autonomy and critical thinking. The analysis reveals that adaptive platforms, automated assessment systems, and generative tools, while promising efficiency and personalization, often reduce learning to standardized processes, limiting the capacity for autonomous judgment and the construction of meaningful knowledge. The erosion of autonomy manifests itself in student passivity induced by predefined learning paths, while dependence on generative AI atrophies original argumentation. Furthermore, algorithms reproduce cultural biases and prioritize quantifiable metrics over qualitative dimensions of education. As alternatives, we propose active teacher mediation, where the teacher acts as a critical filter of algorithmic content, and hybrid models that preserve student agency. We also defend the need for ethical regulation, with transparency in algorithmic criteria and protection of educational data. The paper concludes that AI in education requires a delicate balance: if adopted uncritically, it can reinforce inequalities and impoverish human development; if integrated with solid pedagogical foundations, it can broaden access without sacrificing intellectual depth. Future research should investigate the long-term cognitive effects and develop truly inclusive systems.
Source: Seven Editora eBooks
Authors: João Fernando Costa Júnior, Polyana Pacheco Monteiro Lins, Alline Paula Santos de Oliveira, Gilnéia Cardoso Ribeiro Ruas, Raimundo Alves dos Reis Neto, Leonardo Silva Moraes, Maria José de Barros, Paulo Celso Morais Martins, Luis Carlos Loss Lopes, Marcelo Queiroz Schimidt, Waldir Giese, Ivete Bispo dos Santos
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4412166706