The New Challenges of Inclusive Education: Towards a Special Pedagogy in Dialogue with AI

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming our world, offering new opportunities and challenges across various sectors, including education and the inclusion of people with disabilities. This article explores the role of AI in the context of complex disabilities, highlighting both its potential benefits and the risks associated with its use. Generative AI, capable of creating texts, music, and images based on simple prompts, represents a technological revolution. However, it tends to reproduce societal stereotypes, often overlooking the complexity and diversity of disabilities. People with complex disabilities risk being further marginalized by the idealized and inaccurate representations generated by AI. The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in education raises crucial questions about methodologies, ethics, and inclusion. AI can be employed as a teaching tool, as an object of critical learning, or even as a system to be "educated" to ensure fairness and the absence of bias. The interdisciplinary perspective of AIED (Artificial Intelligence in Education) highlights the importance of dialogue between pedagogy and computer science to develop meaningful curricula. However, international guidelines often overlook the concept of inclusion. A proposed revision of the five pillars of AI education includes, in addition to coding, critical thinking, and post-AI humanism, a pillar dedicated to inclusion. This involves using AI to support students with disabilities and teaching critical awareness of data. Research in this field must be grounded in solid pedagogical foundations so that AI not only enhances educational processes but also makes them more accessible and inclusive.