Human-AI Interaction for Learning: Cognitive, Linguistic and Institutional Futures in the Global South

Artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping education through adaptive learning systems, generative tools, learning analytics, intelligent tutoring and human-computer interaction. However, the central question is no longer only what AI can do, but how learners, educators and institutions interact with AI in ways that support cognition, inclusion, human agency and educational purpose. Work on neuro-cognitive STEM enhancement foregrounds the relationship between cognitive factors, STEM achievement, human-brain/computer interface, cognitive adaptability and personalised learning. In the South African higher education context, AI adoption also raises urgent questions about human-centredness, inequality, ethics, regulation and institutional readiness. Internationally, UNESCO similarly emphasises that generative AI in education should be guided by human agency, inclusion, equity, linguistic diversity, privacy and pedagogical appropriateness.

This Research Topic addresses the need for a deeper understanding of how artificial intelligence can be designed, used and governed in ways that strengthen learning, cognition, inclusion and human agency. While AI is increasingly entering education through generative tools, adaptive systems, learning analytics and human-computer interaction, its educational value remains uneven and highly context-dependent. The key problem is that many AI applications are adopted faster than institutions, educators and learners can fully evaluate their cognitive, pedagogical, linguistic, ethical and institutional implications. This collection aims to advance scholarship that moves beyond technological enthusiasm towards evidence-informed, human-centred and context-sensitive AI integration. It invites contributions that examine how AI can support meaningful learning, responsive teaching, multilingual participation, inclusive digital pedagogies, responsible assessment, ethical data use and institutional decision-making, particularly in the Global South and under-resourced educational contexts.

This Research Topic invites contributions that examine human-AI interaction in education across learning, teaching, assessment, cognition, language, inclusion and institutional decision-making. We welcome manuscripts that address AI-supported learning, cognitive development, human-computer interaction, generative AI in pedagogy, learning analytics, multilingual and culturally responsive AI, inclusive digital learning, ethical data use, learner and teacher agency, and institutional governance of AI. Particular interest is given to studies located in Global South contexts, under-resourced environments, multilingual education systems and settings where AI adoption intersects with inequality, curriculum transformation and epistemic justice. We invite empirical studies, theoretical papers, systematic reviews, design-based research, case studies, methodological papers and practice-informed contributions that offer evidence-based, human-centred and context-sensitive insights into responsible AI integration in education.

Article types and fees

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

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• ... 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:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Human-AI interaction, artificial intelligence in education, human-computer interaction, cognitive learning, learning analytics, multilingual education, epistemic justice, Global South, inclusive digital pedagogy, AI governance

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.