Artificial intelligence (AI) is neither a salvation nor a threat, but a mirror of human consciousness and values, it was announced at the FUNK symposium on the topic "AI - support or threat to education?".
Ljubiša Bojić from the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory at the University of Belgrade said that the University of 2050 will not be just a building, but a combination of real, virtual and personalized learning worlds.
"AI mentors will be a part of every student, but the role of professors will be more important than ever - to teach young people how to think and feel, not just how to use a tool," said Bojić.
According to a statement from the University of Montenegro (UCG), he believes that the goal is not for AI to replace thinking, creativity, and empathy, but to "free us from administrative constraints."
"The biggest danger is not that AI thinks for us, but that we stop thinking for ourselves," said Bojić.
In his words, "if we do not align AI with human values, we risk an education system in which efficiency will trump empathy."
"We are teaching AI to recognize our values, because it depends on whether education will remain human," added Bojić.
Prof. Dr. from the University of Montenegro Vuk Vuković pointed out that the issue of AI development is currently both a technical and sociological issue – because society is still getting used to its ubiquitous presence.
"Very soon, AI will become a universal ethical issue, or rather a question of moral reasoning - not at the level of normative ethics, but at the level of the moral development of individuals," said Vuković.
He warned that "the particular danger of uncritical application and technical use of AI stems from the fact that, as a society, we are still struggling with the use of previous generation media - social networks and all the phenomena they brought, such as information disruptions and hate speech."
"Each of us who teaches, writes, learns, creates or researches already feels that not only the tool, but also the way of thinking is changing in front of our screen," said Vuković.
He said that AI is no longer a fringe innovation, but a shared space where technology, ethics, and pedagogy intertwine – often without clear boundaries.
"A special issue, in that context, will be the one that concerns creative and artistic production," concluded Vuković.
Prof. Dr. UCG Dijana Vučković pointed out that AI in education is not a magic wand, but a magnifying glass that has the potential to magnify both good and bad practices.
"If we don't change the way we learn and teach, algorithms could accelerate old mistakes. But if we focus on developing critical thinking, completely new paths of understanding can be opened up," said Vučković.
She added that AI can help students learn faster, but it should not deprive them of questions about the purpose of learning.
"It's not a problem that AI is entering the classroom – on the contrary, it can be a 'magic assistant'. The problem arises if we remove curiosity from the classroom and if we don't teach moral reasoning. Technology can be a powerful ally in education, but only if it remains at the service of humans, and not the other way around," concluded Vučković.
The statement states that the debate also raised numerous questions from the audience about the role and limits of technology in education, confirming that the key responsibility still lies with humans - how they will use the tools they have created themselves.
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