TRACING THE PHILOSOPHICAL ROOTS OF HUMAN-CENTERED AI DESIGN AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR EQUITABLE EDUCATION IN MULTICULTURAL CLASSROOMS

Abstract

This study aimed to delve into the philosophical foundations of human-centered Artificial Intelligence (AI) design and their implications for equitable education in multicultural classrooms in Pakistan. The researchers noted that the use of AI in education was often quick and without considering the philosophical underpinnings of the design principles. The researchers suggested that the humanist, pragmatist, phenomenological, inspired the human-centered AI design and care ethics traditions, each of which had different implications for the nature of the relationship between technology and various learners. The study was of mixed method research design in which three hundred participants were surveyed quantitatively and thirty participants from Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad were interviewed qualitatively. The quantitative phase assessed attitudes towards human-centered AI principles and perceived equity in multicultural classrooms, and the qualitative phase examined the lived experiences of educators and technologists. The results indicated that participants were aware of the possibilities of human centered AI for inclusive pedagogy, but there were still many gaps in the practical implementation of the philosophical ideals. The study also revealed that socioeconomic inequality and limited technological infrastructure hindered the equitable implementation of AI tools, while linguistic diversity posed challenges. The researchers concluded that to realize educational equity in Pakistan's multicultural classrooms, a philosophically informed, culturally responsive approach to the design of AI is required. Policy implications, teacher training and future research were discussed.