Reimagining K-12 education in the era of artificial intelligence: a critical paradigm shift toward human-machine symbiosis

Abstract

The increasing integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into K-12 education represents a profound epistemological and pedagogical disruption. Drawing upon the discourse from the inaugural Lushan Summit organized by AI, Brain and Child Research Centre of Education University of Hong Kong, this editorial critically examines the trajectory of AI-driven educational restructuring. It explores the transition from industrial-era standardized schooling to hyper-personalized learning environments; the irreplaceability and required changes of the human educator’s role; the ethical imperatives surrounding algorithmic opacity; and the shift from static curricula to dynamic knowledge systems. By synthesizing multidisciplinary perspectives, we argue that the AI era demands not a capitulation to technological determinism, but a reimagining of education that fiercely protects and enables human agency, advanced socio-emotional skills, and metacognition.