AI as an Accelerant for the Learning Sciences: Opportunities, Risks, and a Vision for the Future

5 pages•Published: April 19, 2026

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers the learning sciences new possibilities to advance not only educational practice, but also the study and theory of learning itself. AI enables richer insights from multimodal data, operationalizes long-standing educational theories in real-world contexts, and supports rapid experimentation, creating opportunities to address persistent inequities in research participation and representation. At the same time, these opportunities carry risks, including reinforcement of systemic inequalities, erosion of theoretical grounding, and privileging of narrow cultural perspectives. This vision paper argues for an interdisciplinary and human-centered approach that integrates the values of the learning sciences with the technical capabilities of AI. We present a vision grounded in participatory methods, responsible data science, and inclusive design, supported by privacy-preserving infrastructures. By envisioning AI as a collaborator that adapts to both learners and evolving theories, we chart a path toward more equitable, rigorous, and impactful learning science.

Keyphrases: artificial intelligence, equity, learning sciences, modeling, theory

In: Jernej Masnec, Hamid Reza Karimian, Parisa Kordjamshidi and Yan Li (editors). Proceedings of AI for Accelerated Research Symposium, vol 3, pages 93-97.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/33tG
	https://doi.org/10.29007/4255

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{AIAS2025:AI_as_Accelerant_Learning,
  author    = {Stephen Hutt},
  title     = {AI as an Accelerant for the Learning Sciences: Opportunities, Risks, and a Vision for the Future},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of AI for Accelerated Research Symposium},
  editor    = {Jernej Masnec and Hamid Reza Karimian and Parisa Kordjamshidi and Yan Li},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Technology},
  volume    = {3},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2516-2322},
  url       = {/publications/paper/33tG},
  doi       = {10.29007/4255},
  pages     = {93-97},
  year      = {2026}}

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