Artificial Intelligence and Democracy: Ethical challenges for Education

This paper explores the ethical and educational challenges posed by the intersec-tions between Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital technologies, democracy and education. Digitalization is transforming educational paradigms and civic participation, requiring schools to foster critical digital literacy to navigate misinformation, algorithmic bias, and surveillance (Zuboff, 2019; McChesney, 2013). Drawing on Dewey’s concept of schools as laboratories of democracy (Dewey, 1916) and Freire’s (1970) view of education as a tool for social emanci-pation, the study highlights the need to prepare citizens for active engagement in the digital sphere. Floridi’s notion of the infosphere (2014) frames digital environments as integral to human experience, requiring ethical reflection on data use and AI-driven knowledge (Floridi, 2011). Furthermore, algorithmic systems can perpetuate biases embedded in training data (Noble, 2018; Buolamwini & Gebru, 2018), underscoring the urgency of developing AI lit-eracy. Schools must ensure equitable access to technology and promote competencies out-lined in frameworks like DigComp (Vuorikari et al., 2022), enabling students to critically as-sess digital content and participate democratically. Ultimately, the paper advocates for a balanced approach where technological innovation aligns with democratic values, ensuring that AI serves as a means of empowerment, inclusion, and civic engagement.