TEACHING WITH AI: LIVED EXPERIENCES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND CHALLENGES OF TECH-TECHERS

Education

As The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into education is transforming pedagogical landscapes globally, raising urgent questions about the evolving role of educators, the ethics of algorithmic mediation, and the governance of digital learning spaces. This study interrogates the lived experiences, responsibilities, and pedagogical challenges faced by “tech-teachers” navigating AI-enhanced classrooms. Grounded in critical posthumanism and Foucauldian theories of power and surveillance, the research explores how AI reshapes not only instructional practice but also the subjectivities and authority of educators within increasingly algorithm-governed institutions. Employing a phenomenological methodology, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with higher education faculty integrating AI into professional courses. Through thematic analysis, the study reveals that while AI offers efficiency and pedagogical augmentation, it simultaneously generates epistemic tensions, deepens digital inequities, and reconfigures the teacher’s agency often subtly aligning them with institutional and technocratic imperatives. Participants expressed both empowerment and unease, highlighting the paradox of being both users and subjects of AI systems. Conceptually, the findings challenge techno-optimist narratives by foregrounding ethical dilemmas around surveillance, algorithmic bias, and the erasure of pedagogical intimacy. Practically, the study urges the creation of nuanced policy frameworks that prioritize digital equity, educator autonomy, and critical AI literacy. These insights contribute to global policy debates on AI governance, particularly relevant to authoritarian and post-authoritarian contexts where educational technologies may serve as tools of soft control.

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