July 2025
The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Education Insights Center (EdInsights) or the California Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP).
2024-25 CA EPFP Fellow Dominic Cooper, Program Manager for Diversity and Community Initiatives, University of California at San Diego
The rapid ascent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education presents an unparalleled opportunity to revolutionize learning. However, as we integrate AI into our classrooms, particularly those rich with cultural diversity, the focus must shift beyond mere technological efficiency to the profound impact it can have on humanizing learning experiences and building student agency. AI, when wielded thoughtfully, can be a powerful ally in creating equitable, inclusive, and empowering educational environments where every student thrives.
Culturally diverse classrooms are vibrant tapestries of unique perspectives, experiences, and learning styles. Simply put, when we have vibrant tapestries in the classroom it celebrates the richness and beauty that comes from bringing together many diverse students into one unified, lively learning community. Traditional one-size-fits-all approaches often fail to address these nuances, leading to disengagement and widened opportunity gaps. AI’s potential for personalization offers a compelling solution. AI-powered tools can analyze student data to identify individual learning gaps, curate culturally relevant resources, and generate personalized learning paths. Imagine an AI tutor providing real-time feedback in a student’s native language, or an AI-powered platform recommending texts and videos that reflect a student’s cultural background, fostering a deeper connection to the learning material. This level of bespoke support moves beyond simply delivering content; it acknowledges and celebrates individual identities, making learning more accessible and resonant.
Yet, true humanization of AI in education extends beyond personalization; it’s about empowering students to become active participants in their learning journey, building their agency. Student Agency, defined as the capacity to make choices and influence one’s own learning, is crucial for fostering lifelong learners. In an AI integrated learning environment this means moving beyond students passively consuming AI-generated content. Instead, it involves designing activities where students critically engage with AI, co-create prompts, reflect on algorithmic biases, and remix AI-generated content to foreground their own perspectives.
Consider a history class exploring different cultural narratives of an event. Students could use an AI tool to generate summaries from various historical perspectives, then critically analyze these outputs for potential biases, discussing how different algorithms might prioritize certain information or voices. This process not only develops critical thinking skills but also encourages students to challenge existing narratives and articulate their own informed opinions. Similarly, in a creative writing class, students could collaborate with AI to brainstorm story ideas, then refine and personalize the AI’s suggestions, imbuing the work with their unique voice and cultural context. This transforms AI from a mere content generator into a creative irritant, a tool for playful experimentation, and a mirror that reflects and reframes student thinking (ibid).
However, the ethical considerations of integrating AI into diverse classrooms cannot be overlooked. Bias in AI algorithms, stemming from unrepresentative training data, can perpetuate stereotypes and marginalize certain voices. Access disparities also threaten to exacerbate the digital divide, leaving students from low-income or underserved communities behind. To truly humanize AI, educators must be transparent about data collection, involve students and guardians in data privacy decisions, and actively work to mitigate algorithmic bias.
This requires ongoing professional development for educators to understand AI’s limitations and foster AI literacy in students, encouraging them to question, evaluate, and responsibly utilize these powerful tools.
The goal is not to replace human connection with technology, but to leverage AI to enhance a deeper learning engagement. AI can streamline time-consuming tasks like individualized feedback or resource curation, freeing up educators to focus on coaching, mentoring, and facilitating meaningful discussions that deepen human connection and cross-cultural understanding (ibid). When students are empowered to engage critically with AI, understand its capabilities and limitations, and use it as a tool for self-expression and inquiry, we move “beyond the algorithm” to cultivate confident, capable, and culturally aware global citizens.
At its core, this work is both professional and personal. As an educator committed to equity, I believe that AI should be used not to replace human connection but to deepen it, especially in culturally diverse classrooms. Every student brings a unique story, identity, and way of knowing. When we use AI thoughtfully, we can honor those stories by personalizing learning, amplifying student voices, and building agency. But this requires more than adopting new tools—it demands care, intention, and a critical lens. We must remain vigilant about bias, access, and ethics while inviting students to become co-creators in their own learning. For me, going “beyond the algorithm” means using technology to create learning spaces where all students feel seen, heard, and valued. It’s about leveraging innovation to humanize education, ensuring that every student, not just those who fit the traditional mold, has the opportunity to thrive and shape their own future.