Abstract
This presentation addresses the polarization between technological hype and apocalyptic fear surrounding artificial intelligence in education. Rather than viewing AI as a replication of human cognition, this presentation introduces “cybersocial learning”—a framework emphasizing the mutually entangled yet fundamentally distinct learning processes of humans and machines. Reframing generative AI as a writing and feedback mechanism, the presentation examines the historical evolution of AI and offers a demonstration of the CyberScholar platform, developed in the College of Education at the University of Illinois, as well as empirical findings from our research. In conclusion, the presentation outlines five major AI calamities alongside seven pedagogical affordances, advocating for learning ecologies that enhance human agency and collaborative intelligence through calibrated human-machine relations.

Bio
Bill Cope is a Professor in the Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. His and Mary Kalantzis’ recent research has focused on the development of digital writing and assessment technologies, with the support of a number of major grants from the US Department of Education, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Science Foundation.

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