Navigating Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Learning Innovation: Transforming  Pedagogy in Social Sciences and Humanities

Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and digital technologies are transforming pedagogy in the humanities and social sciences. These innovations create new opportunities for teaching-learning while raising concerns about ethics and equity. To ensure these technologies uphold foundational values, scholars and educators must lead their adoption. Research and pedagogy should leverage AI to advance educational and research outcomes, as well as address emerging social, ethical, and policy challenges. This requires a multidisciplinary inquiry into how AI changes data processing, pedagogy, and institutional policies. It is pivotal to develop strategies that enable educators to utilize AI in inclusive, adaptive, and research-driven environments that promote the interests of students. By prioritizing equity, creativity, and participation, scholars can shape the ethical integration of these tools.

The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital learning innovation is transforming research and pedagogy in the social sciences and humanities, yet it presents significant challenges that must be addressed. In the changing context we are faced with ethical dilemmas, such as concerns over algorithmic bias, data privacy, and the potential erosion of critical, human-centered inquiry. To address these pressing issues, the academic community must unite around a clear, coordinated action: forming cross-disciplinary working groups dedicated to comprehensive ethical review, updating digital policies in each discipline, and developing collaborative solutions. By explicitly prioritizing this collective effort, scholars can ensure that AI and digital innovations promote inclusivity, scholarly rigor, and methodological innovation. This focused initiative will safeguard the relevance and credibility of pedagogical transformations within the domain of humanities and social sciences amid rapid technological change. This Research Topic, therefore, aims to drive and support this collective action while encouraging dialogue on the most effective responses to the evolving landscape of AI in these critical domains.

The research topic invites papers in the following areas: 

AI and Digital Innovations in Social Sciences and Humanities
1 Structural and Digital Innovations in Learning Environments
2 Building Digital and Innovation Skills in Learners and Educators
3 Bridging traditional humanities and computational techniques
4 Empowering Educators and Learners with AI: Human-Technology Synergies
5 Rethinking Assessment: AI for Authentic, Learner-Centered Assessment, Feedback, and Learning Analytics
6 The impact of digital innovation on scholarly communication methods
7 Linking and integrating diverse digital resources
8 Immersive technologies (VR/AR) and digital storytelling in the humanities
9 AI-driven qualitative analysis and narrative in the humanities
10 AI in linguistic and literary studies: Natural language processing applications
11 Institutional Change: Innovating Professional Development and Faculty Support


Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Innovation 
1 AI-enabled mixed-methods and interdisciplinary methodologies
2 Collaborative Approaches Combining Humanities, Social Sciences, and Technology
3 Ethical and Critical Engagement in Interdisciplinary pedagogy and research
4 Curriculum and Pedagogical Innovations for Interdisciplinary Digital Learning
5 Collaborations between academia, industry, and societal stakeholders
6 Future Directions for AI and Digital Innovation in social sciences and humanities


Ethical Implications 
1 The Ethics of AI in Classrooms: Privacy, Data Protection, Informed Consent, and Responsibility
2 Inclusive and Equitable AI: Bridging Digital Divides in Education
3 Fairness, Bias, and Equity in AI-assisted pedagogy 
4 Transparency, Explainability, and Accountability of Artificial Intelligence in Pedagogy 
5 Responsible AI use and Research Integrity
6 Ethical Governance and Institutional Ethics

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Digital Humanities, Artificial intelligence, Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary Research, Ethical Implications

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.