AI in Education: Interview with Dr Cristina Costa

Cristina talked to Dr Lucy Rycroft-Smith and Darren Macey about core themes of her recent work in generative artificial intelligence (Gen-AI), an incredible development for computer science but one that raises deep questions for society.

Some key takeaways from the discussion:

Cristina highlights how Gen-AI is not the latest “PowerPoint technology” for education and how it is increasingly influencing what we understand knowledge production to be.

One of her thought-provoking points in this conversation is that Gen-AI can often pass as mimicking intellectual work, but these technologies do not “think” in the human sense. Thinking is an unproductive endeavour, one that need not lead to anything productive. However, it is an essential step towards understanding, which is key to knowledge production. In current times, where work efficiency is a prized commodity, the invisibility of thought is undervalued. In the context of what Gen-AI can offer, which is fast information, this is not only a challenge but an ingrained mindset we need to question collectively.

Cristina also discusses ethical and societal implications: who benefits from Gen-AI, and how academia, as well as the general public, must avoid being dazzled by the seductive powers and promises of easy knowledge work.

Finally, looking ahead, Cristina wants to be hopeful. Taking inspiration from Paulo Freire, she claims that her views are not meant to be negative, but rather critical. In a critical fashion, she aims to peel off the layers of power that travel through such technological innovations to question who is (dis)(em)powered by it. By denouncing the conditions that these technologies create, we are in a better position to announce what the new/alternative order can be.

Final Thoughts

Cristina’s insights prompt us to moderate our enthusiasm, review our assumptions, and orient our gaze toward both capability and consequences, of which there seem to be many.
Her papers and this conversation make a strong point: Gen-AI is not just more data, bigger technological models, or faster information; instead, it is a shift in how we conceive of information, knowledge production and the human capacity of thinking.

You can read Cristina’s papers here:

Costa, C., & Murphy, M. (2025). Critical education, generative artificial intelligence and the tyranny of freedom: a critique of modern ’technocracy’. Technology, Pedagogy and Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/1475939X.2025.2547728

 Costa, C., & Murphy, M. (2025). Generative Artificial Intelligence in Education: (What) Are we thinking? Learning, Media and Technology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439884.2025.2518258