What youth imagine, what AI reproduces: Sociotechnical imaginaries in education futures research

Abstract

Interest in Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education contexts has surged, ranging from a discourse of enthusiastic promotion to that of critical scrutiny. This paper examines the role of Generative AI as a non-neutral participant in educational technology research. We present a case study in which youth socio-technical imaginaries regarding the role of AI in education (n=117), were first analyzed by human researchers and subsequently by a Large Language Model. We report two main findings: (1) participants envisioned a future of education characterized by deep tensions between technological empowerment and displacement and (2) our methodological exploration revealed that the Generative AI tool itself suggested worthwhile directions but reproduced hegemonic discourses. We urge researchers to resist “good-bad” binaries in favor of more critical co-engagement and co-support models that empower them to acknowledge AI biases and limitations but wrestle with the insights it might produce.