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It frames GenAI as “soft power,” showing how Global North–developed systems may embed cultural and ideological values that reshape norms. Using the “AI as the new nukes” metaphor, it argues for proactive governance and educational sovereignty, prioritizing human agency, augmentation, and critical AI literacy.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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does the paper describe the main impact of generative AI on education?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"It presents a dual narrative: generative AI can enable transformative, more equitable learning, but it also introduces serious challenges for pedagogy, student development, and the meaning of knowledge.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What does “soft power” mean in the context of this paper?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"The paper treats GenAI as an instrument of soft power, arguing that AI systems may carry cultural and ideological values that subtly reshape global educational norms and threaten local educational traditions.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Why does the paper use the “AI as the new nukes” metaphor?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"It uses the metaphor as a critical framework to emphasize the urgency of proactive governance, highlighting the technology’s systemic and dual-use nature rather than treating it as a literal doomsday 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Generative AI, Soft Power, and the Specter of \"New Nukes\" in Education  \nAras Bozkurt, Ramesh C Sharma  \nAbstract: The rapid and widespread integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) into educational settings marks a significant paradigm shift, presenting a dual narrative of transformative potential and profound challenges. This paper critically examines the impact of generative AI on education through three interconnected thematic lenses. First, it analyzes the disruptive effects on pedagogical practicesand student development, highlighting the tension between the promise of hyper-personalized learning and the risks of intellectual homogenization and student de-skilling. Second, the paper conceptualizes generative AI as a potent instrument of \"soft power.\" It argues that AI systems, developed predominantly in the Global North, are embedded with specific cultural and ideological values that can subtly reshape global educational norms, posing a threat to local educational traditions and intellectual sovereignty. Third, the paper employs the \"AI as the new nukes\" metaphor not as a literal comparison but as a critical framework to underscore the urgency for proactive governance and to analyze the systemic, dual-use nature of the technology. By exploring these themes, the paper contends that the primary challenge isnot the technology itself, but the preservation of human agency in an increasingly automated world. It concludes by advocating for a form of educational sovereignty, calling for the adoption of robust, humancentric frameworks that prioritize augmentation over automation and critical AI literacy over simple policy enforcement. This requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders—educators, policymakers, students, and developers—to ensure that AI serves as a tool to enhance human potential rather than diminish it, thereby safeguarding the core humanistic values of education .  \nKeywords: Generative AI, GenAI, Education, Human Agency , Soft Power, AI Ethics, Pedagogy, Educational Technology, AI Governance, Critical Digital Literacy, \"New Nukes\" Metaphor  \nHighlights  \nWhat is already known about this topic:  \n• Generative AI offers personalized learning but poses risks to academic integrity and student skills.  \n• The integration of AI is shifting the educator's role from instructor to facilitator of learning.  \n• Discussions on AI in education often focus on ethical issues like bias and data privacy. What this paper contributes:  \n• Conceptualizes generative AI as a tool of \"soft power\" that standardizes global educational norms.  \n• Uses the \"AI as the new nukes\" metaphor to argue for urgent, proactive AI governance in education.  \n• Links AI's soft power to the erosion of human agency and calls for \"educational sovereignty\" . Implications for theory, practice and/or policy:  \n• For theory, it urges a recalibration of pedagogical models to center human agency with AI.  \n• For practice, it advocates for AI literacy and redesigning curricula for augmentation over automation.  \n• For policy, it calls for governance that fosters transparency and equity over corporate interests.  \n• Implies a need for international standards to manage AI's cross-border influence on education.  \nIntroduction: Chasing the Ghost  \n“Knowledge cannot be pursued without morality.”  \n―J. Robert Oppenheimer  \nA paradigm shift is underway in education that is something we cannot ignore. The sudden and widespread integration of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has moved from a niche technological curiosity to a ubiquitous presence in classrooms and on campuses in a remarkably short period (Bozkurt et al. , 2024) . With college-aged adults representing the largest group of active weekly users (Gallup & Walton Family Foundation, 2024), these systems are fundamentally influencing the landscape of teaching, learning, and assessment (Garcia et al. , 2025a) . This technological revolution presents a d","cbCainUdqHDCyfSJ","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCainUdqHDCyfSJ","pdf",268330,"English","# Abstract\n# Highlights\n## What this paper contributes\n# Introduction: Chasing the Ghost\n## The Allure and Anxiety of the AI Tutor","[{\"question\":\"How does the paper describe the main impact of generative AI on education?\",\"answer\":\"It presents a dual narrative: generative AI can enable transformative, more equitable learning, but it also introduces serious challenges for pedagogy, student development, and the meaning of knowledge.\"},{\"question\":\"What does “soft power” mean in the context of this paper?\",\"answer\":\"The paper treats GenAI as an instrument of soft power, arguing that AI systems may carry cultural and ideological values that subtly reshape global educational norms and threaten local educational traditions.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the paper use the “AI as the new nukes” metaphor?\",\"answer\":\"It uses the metaphor as a critical framework to emphasize the urgency of proactive governance, highlighting the technology’s systemic and dual-use nature rather than treating it as a literal doomsday prediction.\"}]","The Ghost in the Machine - Navigating Generative AI, Soft Power, and the Specter of \"New Nukes\" in Education | PDF",1792073761,15]