Kant's doctrine of education and the problem of artificial intelligence

Abstract

‘The human being’, Kant contends, ‘is the only creature that must be educated’. Thus, for Kant, the concept of education plays a central role in the answer to one of the fundamental questions of philosophy: What is the human being? Education is the means by which the rational powers definitive of our humanity are actualised and cultivated. It is thus the process in which individuals ‘become human’ and, at the same time, the process in which humanity strives to improve—indeed perfect—itself so that it should become possible for us to live in conformity with the requirements of morality in a cosmopolitan realisation of the kingdom of ends. This paper examines the extent to which the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) into educational practices forces us to rethink Kant's position. It is argued that the answer depends on whether systems embodying AI are viewed merely as tools to enhance educational practices or as fully fledged thinking subjects, capable of independent thought and agency. While the former view leaves Kant's basic position intact, the latter compels us to entertain certain important revisions, forcing us to grant that education is not exclusively a relation between human beings, as Kant maintains, and that some nonhuman entities might themselves educate and be educated. Moreover, AI might force us to rethink Kant's fundamental question ‘What is the human being?’ itself. I conclude, however, that notwithstanding the challenges AI poses, Kant's perspective retains its relevance even if it might benefit from supplementation and revision in light of post- and transhumanist perspectives.