Examining Human–AI Synergy in Educational Design Fictions through the Lens of Extended Cognition
In education, AI is no longer just an auxiliary or productivity tool; it increasingly shapes how learners think, reason, and construct knowledge. As AI systems participate in reasoning, writing, and decision-making, educational discourse is shifting from viewing AI as a neutral instrument toward understanding it as a “teammate” within learning processes. This shift raises fundamental questions about who (or what) performs cognitive work, how epistemic responsibility and judgment are distributed, and what it means to learn in partnership with AI.
This participatory workshop places this transition at center stage and examines it through the lens of Andy Clark’s theory of extended cognition. Clark’s extension conditions – reliable availability, easy accessibility, automatic endorsement, and integration into cognitive routines – provide a structured lens to interrogate when AI merely supports learning and when it becomes part of the learner’s cognitive system. At the same time, the growing entanglement of AI with teaching and learning practices calls for new literacies that extend beyond traditional notions of digital literacy.
The workshop brings together researchers, designers, and practitioners interested in human–AI collaboration in educational contexts. Building on the AIED 2026 theme “From Tools to Teammates: Human–AI Synergy for Augmented Learning”, the workshop aims to surface design patterns, theoretical frameworks, empirical insights, and open challenges related to agency, trust, explainability, and ethics in AI-mediated learning.
The program combines short participant contributions with interactive activities, including design sprints, speculative design fiction discussions, and collaborative mapping exercises. Participants will analyze educational design fiction scenarios that depict different configurations of AI integration, using Clark’s conditions to identify implicit assumptions and structural tensions in how AI is positioned relative to learner cognition.
Outcomes include a shared conceptual vocabulary and a forward-looking research agenda for human–AI collaboration in education, grounded in real-world constraints and opportunities across schools, higher education, and workplace learning.
“We create machines in our own image, and they, in turn, recreate us in theirs.” – David Lochhead (1994)
This workshop pursues three interconnected goals:
Articulate design principles and theoretical lenses for human–AI teaming in education (e.g., joint goal setting, shared situational awareness, role negotiation, and co-adaptation)
Share and analyze empirical insights through design fiction narratives that explore how teachers, students, and institutions engage with AI as collaborators rather than tools
Build a multidisciplinary research community, identifying open challenges and future directions aligned with the AIED 2026 theme “From Tools to Teammates: Human–AI Synergy for Augmented Learning”
We ask participants to submit a brief design fiction narrative – a speculative text that imagines plausible or provocative future scenarios to critically explore the implications of human–AI collaboration in education. Submitted design fictions will serve as the basis for collaborative analysis during the workshop and will inform a joint publication with participating authors.
Submissions should include:
A short design fiction describing a plausible or provocative scenario of AI in educational contexts. No prior experience with design fiction is required – participants from research, practice, and education are all welcome to submit.
A brief reflection linking the scenario to themes such as human–AI collaboration, extended cognition, agency, or learning processes
Design fictions may address questions such as:
In what educational contexts does the scenario unfold?
How is AI positioned (e.g., tool, collaborator, or cognitive partner)?
How do humans and AI interact in processes of learning and reasoning?
Which cognitive activities are supported, transformed, or delegated to AI?
What tensions, ambiguities, or ethical implications arise?
For inspiration, participants may refer to published work using design fiction and speculative methods in the context of AI and education:
Exploring the impact of Artificial Intelligence and robots on higher education through literature-based design fictions
Uses narrative design fictions to explore how AI and automation may reshape teaching, learning, and institutional roles in higher education.
Speculative Futures on ChatGPT and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI): A Collective Reflection from the Educational Landscape
A collection of speculative scenarios reflecting on the implications of generative AI for education, including themes such as agency, authorship, and epistemic change.
Imagining the future of artificial intelligence in education: a review of social science fiction
Reviews how speculative narratives are used to examine possible futures of AI in education and to surface underlying assumptions and tensions.
“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last, you create what you will.”
– George Bernard Shaw (1922)
We invite participants to submit a short design fiction narrative (300–500 words), accompanied by a brief reflection (200–300 words), which may contribute to a joint publication with participating authors. Submissions are completed via a Google Form that guides you through the process of developing the narrative and reflection.
Format: Text submission via Google Form
Language: English
Submissions are intended to support interactive workshop activities and do not need to follow a formal academic paper format. No prior experience with design fiction is required.
Workshop materials and synthesized outcomes – including collaboratively developed guidelines and thematic summaries – will be made openly available to support continued community engagement.
Submission Deadline: 30 May 2026
Submission = Registration:
Submitting the Google Form will automatically registers you as a participant.
Workshop date: 27 or 28 June 2026 (TBA)
Publication Opportunity:
A joint publication emerging from the submission and workshop.