Social Science and Human
Resea ch Bulle in
Vol. 02(11): 644-647, No embe 2025
Home Page: h p://ssh bjou nal.o g/
ISSN(e): 3050-5542
ISSN(p): 3050-5534
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.55677/SSHRB/2025-3050-1102 pg. 644
Towa ds a Digi al Humanism: A C i ical Analysis o E hical Dimensions in
UNESCO’s AI F amewo ks (2021–2025)
D Raphaël Hube Elie Sebi e
Facul y o Fo eign Languages, Uni e si y o Colima, Mexico
A icle DOI: 10.55677/SSHRB/2025-3050-1102 DOI URL: h ps://doi.o g/10.55677/SSHRB/2025-3050-1102
KEYWORDS: UNESCO; a i icial
in elligence; digi al humanism; educa ional
e hics; sus ainabili y; ecopedagogy;
educa ional go e nance.
Co esponding Au ho :
D Raphaël Hube Elie Sebi e
Published: No embe 06, 2025
License: This is an open access a icle unde
he CC BY 4.0 license:
h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/
ABSTRACT: This a icle p esen s a c i ical analysis o UNESCO’s no ma i e
amewo ks on a i icial in elligence (AI) and educa ion p oduced be ween 2021
and 2025. D awing upon ou key documen s — he Recommenda ion on he E hics
o A i icial In elligence (2021), he Guidance o Gene a i e AI in Educa ion and
Resea ch (2024) and he AI Compe ency F amewo ks o Teache s and o
Lea ne s (2025) — he s udy examines how UNESCO’s human-cen ed app oach
ede ines he e hical and pedagogical ounda ions o educa ion in he digi al age.
Using quali a i e documen a y analysis, i explo es he e olu ion o UNESCO’s
discou se om a decla a i e and no ma i e e hics o a pedagogical and ope a ional
one. The indings e eal ha he ecen amewo ks ansla e uni e sal human
alues — such as digni y, inclusion, jus ice, and sus ainabili y — in o obse able
educa ional compe ences ha ans o m bo h eaching and lea ning p ac ices.
Teache s a e ede ined as e hical media o s and lea ne s as e lec i e ci izens,
capable o co-c ea ing esponsible in elligences. The discussion in oduces he
concep o an ecopedagogy o in elligence, linking e hics and sus ainabili y wi hin
digi al educa ion. By aligning e hical AI wi h he Sus ainable De elopmen Goals
(SDGs 4, 10, 13 and 16), UNESCO p oposes a model o digi al humanism
g ounded in human digni y, ecological awa eness, and collec i e esponsibili y.
1. INTRODUCTION: ETHICS AND HUMANISM IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Be ween 2021 and 2025, UNESCO published a cohe en se o no ma i e ex s ha de ine he e hical go e nance o a i icial
in elligence in educa ion. These include he Recommenda ion on he E hics o A i icial In elligence (2021), he Guidance o
Gene a i e AI in Educa ion and Resea ch (2024), and he AI Compe ency F amewo ks o Teache s and o Lea ne s (2025).
Toge he , hey o m an in e na ional a chi ec u e ha places echnology a he se ice o human digni y, inclusion, jus ice, and
sus ainabili y. UNESCO’s app oach depa s om echnocen ic isions o digi al ans o ma ion and si ua es he e hical dimension
o AI as he ounda ion o a new educa ional humanism.
A i icial in elligence has become inc easingly embedded in educa ion, in luencing how knowledge is c ea ed, media ed, and
e alua ed. Adap i e lea ning sys ems, algo i hmic assessmen , and gene a i e ools a e eshaping pedagogical p ac ices. Howe e ,
UNESCO insis s ha he pu pose o educa ion mus emain undamen ally human: echnology should enhance, no eplace, c i ical
hough , c ea i i y, and esponsibili y. In his con ex , he challenge is no me ely o in eg a e AI in o class ooms bu o lea n wi h
AI in ways ha ein o ce au onomy and e hical awa eness. The p esen a icle explo es his ans o ma ion, analysing how
UNESCO’s discou se ede ines he oles o eache s and lea ne s and how i ope a ionalises e hical p inciples in o educa ional
compe ences. I ad ances he hypo hesis ha UNESCO’s ecen co pus ma ks a shi om no ma i e decla a ions o a pe o ma i e
pedagogy o e hics, laying he g oundwo k o wha can be desc ibed as a new o m o digi al humanism.
2. HYPOTHESIS AND OBJECTIVES
The cen al hypo hesis o his s udy is ha UNESCO’s no ma i e co pus on a i icial in elligence be ween 2021 and 2025 embodies
a new model o digi al humanism by ansla ing abs ac e hical p inciples in o measu able and obse able compe ences o eache s
and lea ne s. This e olu ion signals a mo emen om decla a i e e hics, based on uni e sal no ms, o a o m o applied e hics
Raphaël Hube Elie Sebi e (2025), Social Science and Human Resea ch Bulle in 02(11):644-647
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.55677/SSHRB/2025-3050-1102 pg. 645
embedded in p o essional and educa ional p ac ice. The objec i e is o unde s and how his ansla ion occu s and wha i e eals
abou he ela ionship be ween human agency, echnology, and educa ion. The s udy aims o examine he con inui y be ween
UNESCO’s e hical ecommenda ions and i s pedagogical amewo ks, o in e p e how e hical alues a e ea icula ed as
compe ences and o discuss he implica ions o his ans o ma ion o educa ional go e nance and p o essional iden i y. Mo e
b oadly, he esea ch seeks o concep ualise how hese de elopmen s con ibu e o he eme gence o a global pedagogy o
esponsibili y.
3. METHODOLOGY
This wo k adop s a quali a i e compa a i e documen a y analysis o ou UNESCO publica ions p oduced be ween 2021 and 2025.
The co pus comp ises he Recommenda ion on he E hics o A i icial In elligence (2021), he Guidance o Gene a i e AI in
Educa ion and Resea ch (2024), and he AI Compe ency F amewo ks o Teache s and o Lea ne s (2025). These ex s we e
selec ed because hey ep esen he mos explici and sequen ial a icula ion o UNESCO’s ision o AI in educa ion, mo ing om
e hical p inciple o pedagogical implemen a ion.
The analysis ollows an in e p e a i e logic, seeking o iden i y key concep ual pa e ns and hei e olu ion ac oss he documen s.
The eading ocused on h ee in e connec ed dimensions: he e hical (digni y, jus ice, inclusion, sus ainabili y), he pedagogical
( eache media ion, lea ne agency, c i ical and c ea i e hinking) and he ecological (digi al esponsibili y, en i onmen al
awa eness, and sus ainabili y). The in e p e a ion combined hema ic coding wi h lexical obse a ion o ecu ing e ms such as
“human-cen ed”, “ esponsibili y”, “jus ice” and “sus ainabili y”, which se e as indica o s o concep ual cohe ence. The app oach
emains quali a i e, ye sys ema ically compa a i e, enabling he iden i ica ion o a discu si e p og ession om no ma i e
decla a ion o pedagogical applica ion.
Valida ion o he in e p e a ion was achie ed h ough iangula ion wi h exis ing li e a u e on AI e hics in educa ion, including key
heo e ical e e ences om Luckin (2018), Selwyn (2022) and Knox (2023). The analysis aligns wi h UNESCO’s e hical amewo k
and he Uni ed Na ions Sus ainable De elopmen Goals, ensu ing cohe ence be ween concep ual ca ego ies and in e na ional
no ma i e e e ences.
4. RESULTS
The analysis e eals a p o ound ans o ma ion o UNESCO’s discou se be ween 2021 and 2025. The Recommenda ion on he
E hics o A i icial In elligence (2021) de ines e hics as a no ma i e condi ion o echnological legi imacy, emphasising human
digni y, jus ice and en i onmen al sus ainabili y. Howe e , his e hical ision emains p ima ily decla a i e and abs ac . The la e
amewo ks o 2024 and 2025 ansla e hese uni e sal alues in o pedagogical s uc u es, demons a ing an e olu ion owa ds
ope a ional e hics. In his model, e hics becomes no only a p inciple o espec bu also a compe ence o acqui e and demons a e
h ough educa ional p ac ice.
The AI Compe ency F amewo k o Teache s (2025) ede ines he eache as an e hical media o and a chi ec o meaning wi hin
he digi al ecosys em. The eache ’s ole ex ends beyond he ansmission o knowledge o include he cul i a ion o c i ical
awa eness, disce nmen and empa hy in he use o echnology. Educa o s a e expec ed o unde s and he unc ioning and social
implica ions o algo i hms, o an icipa e hei po en ial biases and o in eg a e e hical e lec ion in o he design o lea ning
en i onmen s. This concep ion posi ions eache s as cus odians o human esponsibili y and mo al judgemen , ensu ing ha he use
o echnology emains subo dina e o pedagogical and e hical pu poses.
In pa allel, he AI Compe ency F amewo k o Lea ne s (2025) cons uc s a complemen a y p o ile o he lea ne as a e lec i e
ci izen and co-c ea o o knowledge. The amewo k en isions lea ne s who can unde s and, ques ion and edesign echnological
sys ems in ligh o human alues. Educa ion is no longe limi ed o mas e ing ools bu in ol es de eloping e hical and ecological
awa eness, as well as agency wi hin complex digi al en i onmen s. Lea ne s a e encou aged o ac esponsibly, o analyse he
socie al and en i onmen al consequences o AI, and o con ibu e ac i ely o sus ainable inno a ion. In his sense, he amewo ks
collec i ely ede ine educa ion as an exe cise in applied e hics, whe e he de elopmen o compe ences is insepa able om he
cul i a ion o conscience.
Ac oss he ou documen s, he no ion o a “human-cen ed AI” eme ges as a uni ying p inciple. This concep , a icula ed in 2021
and ei e a ed h oughou 2024 and 2025, es ablishes a hie a chy be ween echnology and e hics: echnological p og ess acqui es
legi imacy only i i se es human lou ishing and collec i e well-being. The epe i ion o exp essions such as “human-cen ed” and
“ igh s-based” e eals a delibe a e he o ical s a egy o ancho UNESCO’s policy discou se in an e hical epis emology. The esul
is he o mula ion o a cohe en pa adigm o digi al humanism, which in eg a es echnological inno a ion wi hin a amewo k o
human digni y, jus ice and sus ainabili y.
5. DISCUSSION
UNESCO’s ecen amewo ks ep esen a decisi e u ning poin in he go e nance o educa ional echnologies. The ansi ion om
abs ac p inciples o ac ionable compe ences signi ies a pedagogical app op ia ion o e hics. E hics ceases o be an ex e nal
cons ain on echnology and becomes an in insic dimension o p o essional p ac ice. In his sense, UNESCO achie es wha can
Raphaël Hube Elie Sebi e (2025), Social Science and Human Resea ch Bulle in 02(11):644-647
DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.55677/SSHRB/2025-3050-1102 pg. 646
be desc ibed as an ope a ionalisa ion o e hics, in which e hical e lec ion is no simply augh bu enac ed h ough pedagogical
ac ion.
This e olu ion also e eals a new concep ion o educa ional esponsibili y. The eache is no longe he exclusi e bea e o
knowledge bu a media o o c i ical and e hical in e ac ions be ween humans and machines. The lea ne , simila ly, is no a passi e
ecipien o echnological sys ems bu an ac i e pa icipan in hei e hical shaping. Toge he , hey inhabi an ecosys em o sha ed
agency, whe e human and a i icial in elligences collabo a e unde he guidance o mo al and ecological impe a i es. This ela ional
model echoes Luckin’s (2018) idea o “in elligence augmen a ion”, which sees echnology as a pa ne in ex ending human
capabili ies a he han a subs i u e o hem.
The dialec ic be ween con ol and co-c ea ion, cen al o UNESCO’s discou se, in i es a econside a ion o how au ho i y and
au onomy a e dis ibu ed in he digi al class oom. Ra he han opposing human eedom o algo i hmic de e mina ion, UNESCO
sugges s ha co- esponsibili y should go e n he in e ac ion be ween educa o s, lea ne s and machines. Knox’s (2023) concep o
pos digi al e hics esona es he e: human- echnology ela ions mus be unde s ood as dynamic, nego ia ed and e hically si ua ed.
Such a iew esis s bo h he u opian and dys opian ex emes ha domina e public deba e abou AI. I eclaims he possibili y o a
c i ical ye cons uc i e humanism adap ed o he condi ions o digi al mode ni y.
Ano he signi ican dimension o UNESCO’s amewo k is i s ecological sensi i i y. The Recommenda ion on he E hics o AI
(2021) explici ly connec s echnological e hics wi h en i onmen al sus ainabili y, wa ning o he ecological cos o digi al
in as uc u es and da a-in ensi e sys ems. This conce n deepens in he 2025 amewo ks, whe e sus ainabili y is amed as bo h a
lea ning objec i e and a guiding alue. By in oducing ecological awa eness in o AI educa ion, UNESCO ex ends he e hical ho izon
beyond human ela ions o encompass he plane i sel . The concep o an ecopedagogy o in elligence cap u es his syn hesis: o
educa e e hically in he age o AI is o unde s and he en i onmen al and social implica ions o ou echnological choices. This idea
d aws inspi a ion om Gado i’s (2000) and Sau é’s (2014) wo k on en i onmen al educa ion, adap ed he e o he con ex o digi al
e hics. The esul is an eco-humanis ision ha in eg a es e hical e lec ion, echnological li e acy and plane a y esponsibili y.
The implica ions o eache educa ion a e conside able. T aining p og ammes mus in eg a e AI e hics as a ans e sal componen ,
combining echnical unde s anding wi h philosophical e lec ion and en i onmen al awa eness. This equi es he de elopmen o
new cu icula, esea ch p ac ices and ins i u ional policies capable o e alua ing he e hical impac o educa ional echnologies.
Selwyn (2022) has obse ed ha digi al educa ion o en becomes a si e o au oma ion and da a ica ion; UNESCO’s human-cen ed
app oach p oposes an al e na i e pa hway, whe e e hics and sus ainabili y a e he p incipal measu es o inno a ion.
Ul ima ely, hese amewo ks sugges ha educa ion i sel is he p ima y si e o go e nance o a i icial in elligence. Ra he han
egula ing echnology h ough ex e nal mechanisms alone, UNESCO p oposes an e hical pedagogy o go e nance, in which e e y
educa ional ac o pa icipa es in shaping he mo al di ec ion o AI. This pa icipa o y model aligns wi h he Sus ainable De elopmen
Goals and si ua es digi al ans o ma ion wi hin a wide p ojec o social jus ice and ecological su i al.
6. CONCLUSION
The c i ical examina ion o UNESCO’s AI- ela ed amewo ks om 2021 o 2025 demons a es a signi ican e olu ion in he
o ganisa ion’s unde s anding o he ela ionship be ween e hics, echnology and educa ion. The analysis con i ms he ini ial
hypo hesis: UNESCO has mo ed om a no ma i e concep ion o e hics o an ope a ional and pedagogical one, e ec i ely
ansla ing uni e sal alues in o educa ional compe ences. This ans o ma ion de ines he con ou s o a new digi al humanism, in
which eache s ac as e hical media o s and lea ne s as e lec i e ci izens, and whe e echnology becomes a pa ne in he co-c ea ion
o esponsible knowledge.
The in eg a ion o sus ainabili y wi hin his e hical a chi ec u e ma ks he eme gence o an ecopedagogy o in elligence, a
pe spec i e ha ecognises he in e connec edness o echnological and ecological sys ems. Educa ion, in his iew, becomes a
labo a o y o conscience, dedica ed no only o in ellec ual de elopmen bu also o he cul i a ion o esponsibili y owa ds o he s
and he plane . UNESCO’s amewo ks hus go beyond egula ing a i icial in elligence: hey p opose a ede ini ion o educa ion
i sel as an e hical and c ea i e p ac ice o co-exis ence be ween human and a i icial in elligences.
Fu u e esea ch should examine how hese compe ences a e implemen ed in na ional con ex s and how hey in luence eache
aining, cu iculum design and ins i u ional policies. Longi udinal s udies could assess he impac o such e hical educa ion on
p o essional beha iou and s uden awa eness. By ex ending i s e hical ision in o conc e e pedagogical p ac ices, UNESCO
con ibu es no only o educa ional inno a ion bu o he shaping o a global mo al communi y capable o guiding echnology
owa ds he se ice o humani y and he Ea h.
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