AI in Education Beyond Learning Outcomes: Cognition, Agency, Emotion, and Ethics

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly being integrated into educational contexts, promising personalized support and increased efficiency. However, growing evidence suggests that the uncritical adoption of AI may produce unintended harms that extend beyond individual learning outcomes to affect broader societal goals. This paper examines the societal implications of AI in education through an integrative framework with four interrelated dimensions: cognition, agency, emotional well-being, and ethics. Drawing on research from education, cognitive science, psychology, and ethics, we synthesize existing evidence to show how AI-driven cognitive offloading, diminished learner agency, emotional disengagement, and surveillance-oriented practices can mutually reinforce one another. We argue that these dynamics risk undermining critical thinking, intellectual autonomy, emotional resilience, and trust, capacities that are foundational both for effective learning and also for democratic participation and informed civic engagement. Moreover, AI’s impact is contingent on design and governance: pedagogically aligned, ethically grounded, and human-centered AI systems can scaffold effortful reasoning, support learner agency, and preserve meaningful social interaction. By integrating fragmented strands of prior research into a unified framework, this paper advances the discourse on responsible AI in education and offers actionable implications for educators, designers, and institutions. Ultimately, the paper contends that the central challenge is not whether AI should be used in education, but how it can be designed and governed to support learning while safeguarding the social and civic purposes of education.