Dacey, C. M., Cowin, J., & de los Reyes, J. (2026). Editorial: Artificial intelligence in educational and business ecosystems: Convergent perspectives on agency, ethics, and transformation. Frontiers in Education, 11, Article 1780854. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2026.1780854
The contributions curated in this Research Topic resist the techno-solutionist narrative that frames AI as a neutral efficiency tool requiring only proper deployment. Instead, they capture tensions between automation and augmentation, between administrative rationalization and pedagogical transformation, and between predictive precision and educational equity. These tensions operate simultaneously across institutional, instructional, and individual levels, calling for analytical frameworks that draw on computer science, learning sciences, ethics, policy studies, and critical pedagogy. The authors invite readers to continue building collaborative and integrative approaches that match the scale and complexity of AI’s global impact. We can benefit from reconsidering our teaching methods and comparing the ethical challenges of AI in business education, as well as how AI can be effectively incorporated to help prepare workforce-ready graduates. The effects of using artificial intelligence in education are just beginning to be measured, and its use will likely have ripple effects for years to come (Dacey et al., 2023). As we look toward the horizon, we see the need for more flexible, decentralized, and inclusive governance and educational structures, much like a forest of diverse species adapting to changing conditions within a vibrant ecosystem (Dacey et al., 2025, p. 70). Throughout the production process of this Research Topic, we remained mindful that “companies like OpenAI stand at the forefront, pushing the boundaries of what generative pre-trained transformers or ‘GPTs’ can achieve. However, beneath this veneer of progress lies a complex web of epistemological and pedagogical quandaries that question the very foundation of AI’s trajectory in education” (Cowin, 2024). We invite continued dialogue on these fundamental questions as the field evolves. Author contributions CD: Conceptualization, Methodology, Project administration, Resources, Writing– original draft, Writing– review & editing. JC: Writing– original draft, Writing– review & editing. JdlR: Writing– review & editing. Conflict of interest The author(s) declared that this work was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Cowin, J. (2024). AI’s Potemkin Vision: The Seduction of Educational TechnoSolutionism. Available online at: https://stankevicius.co/artificial-intelligence/aispotemkin-vision-the-seduction-of-educational-techno-solutionism/ (Accessed January 30, 2026).
Cowin, J. (2025). Live From Paris: UNESCO’s Digital Learning Week 2025. Stankevicius. Available online at: https://stankevicius.co/artificial-intelligence/livefrom-paris-unescos-digital-learning-week-2025/ (Accessed January 30, 2026).
Dacey, C. (2022). Examining ethical tensions and the pursuit of care through an invitational lens. J. Invit. Theory Pract. 28, 5–30. doi: 10.26522/jitp.v28i.4208
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