The Hidden Cost of AI in Education | Shirin Shafiei Ebrahimi | TEDxLitte lran Women

Generative AI is becoming part of everyday learning, and this talk asks what education should protect from it. Dr Shirin Shafiei Ebrahimi argues that the hidden cost is not money, technology or privacy, but the loss of the struggle, mistakes and discovery that build self-efficacy, agency and critical thinking. The talk draws on learning sciences research on cognitive offloading, self-efficacy, human agency and identity formation. Its central message is that AI should be used without giving up the space between a question and its answer.

• Concerns about AI in education go beyond cost, technology and privacy
• Hesitation, mistakes and trial and error are part of learning
• Research on cognitive offloading, self-efficacy and agency informs the argument
• The talk argues for using AI without outsourcing the thinking that education should build

What if the real cost of AI in education has very little to do with money, technology, or privacy? What if it is something much less visible: the opportunities we lose to think for ourselves, struggle with a difficult problem, make mistakes, discover something, and realize that we are capable of more than we thought? In The Hidden Cost of AI in Education, Dr Shirin Shafiei Ebrahimi looks at a question that deserves much more attention as generative AI becomes part of everyday learning: What should education protect from AI? AI can explain a difficult idea, generate an answer, translate a text, correct our work, analyze information, and even suggest what to do next. That can make learning faster and easier, but it also raises an important question: when we move so quickly from a question to an answer, what happens to everything that normally takes place in between? The hesitation, the wrong answers, the trial and error, the moments of frustration, the unexpected connections, and the satisfaction of finally figuring something out. Those experiences are not simply obstacles on the way to learning. They are part of learning. They help students develop self-efficacy, agency, critical thinking, and a sense of who they are as learners. Drawing on research and ideas from the learning sciences, cognitive offloading, self-efficacy, human agency, and identity formation, this talk looks at a side of AI adoption in education that is easy to overlook: what happens when we begin to outsource more and more of the thinking that once belonged to us. The answer is not to reject AI. We need to learn how to use it without giving up the experiences that make education meaningful in the first place. We need to protect the space between the question and the answer. Because education is not only about finding the right answer. It is also about becoming the person who knows how to find one. Dr. Shirin Shafiei Ebrahimi is a Professor of Education, researcher, and public speaker dedicated to advancing teaching and learning through innovation and technology. With extensive international experience in higher education, she specializes in educational technology, technology-enhanced learning, mobile-assisted language learning, and AI-supported pedagogies. Her interdisciplinary research explores the meaningful and ethical integration of mobile applications and artificial intelligence into education to enhance learner engagement, autonomy, and skill development. Drawing on theoretical and empirical research, she advocates for innovative, student-centered approaches to education. Dr. Ebrahimi is committed to transformative research, academic excellence, and shaping conversations about the future of education in a rapidly evolving technological world. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx