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✍️ Introductory
Note to the Reader I am not entirely sure how I came across
the article AI Can Revolutionise Education but Technology Is Not Enough:
Human Development Meets Cultural Evolution. Yet, as I read through it, I
was struck by the comparison between Uruguay’s forward-looking integration of
AI in education and the slower pace that Costa Rica is likely to
experience—perhaps over decades. This contrast left me with a sense of
sadness, especially as an English teaching professional who witnesses daily
how students often misuse AI. Many use it to bypass homework, avoid thinking
in the target language, or escape the cognitive effort of practicing English.
As I often remind my students: you will not have subtitles or “zapping” in a
real job interview. AI can indeed be a powerful educational tool, but the
critical question remains—who truly knows how to use it responsibly and
effectively? |
The Risks of Misusing AI in Costa Rican Education
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Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) is
reshaping education worldwide, offering personalized learning, automated
assessment, and expanded access. In Costa Rica, these opportunities intersect
with a strong national commitment to human development and equity. However,
the misuse of AI threatens to undermine rather than enhance educational
outcomes. This essay examines the risks of uncritical AI integration in Costa
Rican universities, language institutes, and public high schools. Key dangers
include student overdependence on AI tools, algorithmic bias and cultural
mismatch, widening digital inequality, weak teacher preparation, and ethical
concerns related to data privacy. Drawing on Muthukrishna et al. (2025),
Darvishi et al. (2024), and others, the essay argues that technology-first
approaches replicate past failures, while successful strategies must embed AI
in systems that prioritize infrastructure, pedagogy, cultural adaptation, and
teacher empowerment. Without these safeguards, AI could erode autonomy,
equity, and cultural relevance in Costa Rican education. |
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Education Policy,
Costa Rica, Digital Inequality, Algorithmic Bias, Teacher Training |
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Resumen La inteligencia artificial (IA) está
transformando la educación global, y Costa Rica no es la excepción. No
obstante, el uso inadecuado de estas tecnologías puede generar efectos
negativos en lugar de potenciar el aprendizaje. Este ensayo analiza los
principales riesgos de la implementación acrítica de la IA en universidades,
institutos de idiomas y colegios públicos costarricenses. Se identifican como
peligros centrales la dependencia excesiva de los estudiantes en las
herramientas de IA, el sesgo algorítmico y la falta de adecuación cultural,
la brecha digital entre zonas urbanas y rurales, la escasa preparación
docente y las preocupaciones éticas relacionadas con la privacidad. Con base
en Muthukrishna et al. (2025) y otros autores, se concluye que el éxito
depende de una integración centrada en el ser humano, con infraestructura
sólida, formación docente y adaptaciones culturales que garanticen equidad y
pertinencia. |
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Resumo A inteligência artificial (IA) está
remodelando a educação em todo o mundo e a Costa Rica enfrenta o desafio de
sua integração. Contudo, o uso inadequado dessas tecnologias pode prejudicar
o desenvolvimento educacional. Este ensaio examina os riscos do mau uso da IA
em universidades, institutos de línguas e escolas secundárias públicas
costarriquenhas. Entre os principais problemas estão a dependência excessiva
dos estudantes, o viés algorítmico e a falta de adequação cultural, a
desigualdade digital entre regiões urbanas e rurais, a falta de preparação
dos professores e as questões éticas de privacidade. Com base em Muthukrishna
et al. (2025) e outros pesquisadores, argumenta-se que a IA deve ser
integrada dentro de um marco centrado no ser humano, com investimentos em
infraestrutura, capacitação docente e adaptações culturais. Só assim poderá
contribuir para uma educação mais equitativa e relevante. |
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The
integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into education has generated
significant optimism in a country like Costa Rica, a nation that has long
emphasized human development as central to its educational policies. From
universities in San José to public high schools in rural Guanacaste, AI
promises personalized tutoring, automated assessment, and expanded access to
knowledge. However, as Muthukrishna, Dai, Panizo Madrid, Sabherwal, Vanoppen,
and Yao (2025) caution, “technology alone is not enough” (p. 483). When
deployed uncritically or without the necessary systemic support, AI can
constrain rather than expand learners’ capabilities, leading to unintended
harms that exacerbate existing inequalities and undermine the quality of
education students are part of.
One of
the most pressing risks is student overdependence on AI tools, which can
weaken independent thinking and authentic learning. Muthukrishna, Dai, Panizo
Madrid, Sabherwal, Vanoppen, and Yao, H. (2025) note that if AI “spoon-feeds
children solutions,” it may erode critical reasoning skills and promote
passivity in learners (p. 485). In Costa Rican universities, for instance,
students may rely on generative AI to draft essays or complete assignments
without engaging deeply with sources and information. Language learners in
private institutes often turn to AI translators instead of practicing
productive skills, leading to superficial rather than meaningful acquisition
and true language practice and production. Darvishi, Khosravi, Sadiq, Gašević,
and Siemens (2024) demonstrated that GPT-based tutors can improve short-term
performance but simultaneously create dependence, impairing student agency when
AI is not available. Long-term mastery is not achieved by overdependent users
of AI tutors.
A
second major challenge concerns algorithmic bias and cultural mismatch.
Because most large language models are trained on Western-centric data, they
reproduce values, examples, and idioms that do not align with Costa Rican social
and cultural realities. Muthukrishna, Dai, Panizo Madrid, Sabherwal, Vanoppen,
and Yao, H. (2025) warn that such bias can “subtly shape values, norms and
aspirations” (p. 485) that are alien to the country’s idiosyncrasy. For high
school students in Guanacaste or Puntarenas, AI-generated learning materials
that reference holidays like Thanksgiving or other contexts unfamiliar to their
everyday lives can create disengagement and boredom. Brinkmann, Baumann,
Bonnefon, Derex, Müller, Nussberger, and Czaplicka (2023) describe this as the
problem of “machine culture,” in which digital systems reinforce dominant
cultural narratives at the expense of local knowledge. In Costa Rica, this risk
could potentially weaken the role of education in preserving national identity
and fostering civic engagement.
The
digital divide poses another serious concern in student learning and
education. While private universities and international schools in the Central
Valley of Costa Rica are well positioned to implement AI, rural schools face
persistent deficits in connectivity and access to modern and appropriate
digital devices. Muthukrishna, Dai, Panizo Madrid, Sabherwal, Vanoppen, and
Yao, H. (2025) emphasize that successful innovations require “reliable
electricity, fast internet connectivity, functional and modern computing
devices” as preconditions for effective AI integration (p. 487). Without such
infrastructure, Costa Rica risks replicating the failures of the One Laptop Per
Child initiative, where devices were distributed without systemic support,
resulting in little educational gain (UNESCO, 2023). Instead of narrowing learning
gaps between private and public education, AI could widen inequalities between
urban and rural learners and between students from low-income families and economically
advantaged ones.
Equally
concerning is the lack of teacher readiness and pedagogical integration.
As the article “AI can revolutionise education but technology is not enough:
Human development meets cultural evolution” stresses, Estonia and Uruguay
succeeded in digital transformation because they invested in teacher training
and curricular adaptation, while technology-first approaches failed (Muthukrishna,
Dai, Panizo Madrid, Sabherwal, Vanoppen, and Yao, H., 2025). In Costa Rica, if
educators are not trained in AI literacy, they may misuse the tools, either
delegating too much of their role to technology or rejecting it altogether
without giving it a chance. Selwyn (2019) argues that the role of teachers
remains irreplaceable: human educators provide the socio-emotional support,
cultural interpretation, and moral guidance that AI cannot replicate. Let us
always keep in mind that AI has no feelings nor does it care how it is being
used for, like cheating for a test. Treating AI as a substitute for teachers
could damage the mentoring relationships that are vital in both language
learning and adolescent development.
Finally,
ethical concerns regarding data privacy and surveillance cannot be
ignored when AI is being used. AI systems that track student keystrokes,
learning times, or behavior may create a culture of monitoring that “stifles
the freedom to fail and learn” (Muthukrishna, Dai, Panizo Madrid, Sabherwal,
Vanoppen, and Yao, H., 2025, p. 485). Without clear data governance frameworks,
Costa Rican schools in general risk exposing sensitive student
information to misuse by private companies. Such practices not only undermine
trust but also contradict Costa Rica’s long-standing commitment to human rights
and democratic education.
In
conclusion, while AI holds transformative potential for Costa Rican education,
its wrong use risks undermining student autonomy, deepening inequalities,
eroding cultural relevance, weakening teacher roles, and violating privacy. As Muthukrishna,
Dai, Panizo Madrid, Sabherwal, Vanoppen, and Yao, H. (2025) argue, successful
adoption depends not on the technology itself but on “embedding AI within
systems that prioritise infrastructure, teacher training and cultural fit” (p.
490). For Costa Rica, a nation that has historically invested in human-centered
development, the lesson must be clear: AI must be guided by ethical safeguards,
equitable access policies, and pedagogical strategies that empower rather than
displace teachers and students. Otherwise, the promise of AI may become another
instance of technological optimism yielding educational disappointment.
📚 References
Brinkmann, L., Baumann, F., Bonnefon, J.-F.,
Derex, M., Müller, T. F., Nussberger, A.-M., & Czaplicka, A. (2023).
Machine culture. Nature Human Behaviour, 7(11), 1855–1868. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01742-2
Darvishi, A., Khosravi, H., Sadiq, S., Gašević,
D., & Siemens, G. (2024). Impact of AI assistance on student agency. Computers
& Education, 210, 104967. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2023.104967
Muthukrishna, M., Dai, J., Panizo Madrid, D.,
Sabherwal, R., Vanoppen, K., & Yao, H. (2025). AI can revolutionise
education but technology is not enough: Human development meets cultural
evolution. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 26(3),
482–492. https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2025.2517740 or https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/19452829.2025.2517740?needAccess=true
Selwyn, N. (2019). Should robots replace
teachers? AI and the future of education. Polity.
UNESCO. (2023). EdTech tragedy: Lessons from
One Laptop per Child. https://www.unesco.org/en/digital-education/ed-tech-tragedy
Potential Policy Brief
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Responsible
AI Integration in Costa Rican Education: Avoiding Risks, Maximizing Potential Prepared
for: All interested stakeholders Context Costa
Rica is at a crossroads in adopting Artificial Intelligence (AI) in
education. Universities, language institutes, and public high schools are
experimenting with AI-powered tools for tutoring, grading, and content
generation. While these technologies promise personalized learning, increased
teacher productivity, and expanded access, misuse or poorly planned
implementation risks widening inequalities, eroding student agency, and
misaligning with local culture. Key
Risks Identified 1.
Overdependence on AI: Students
may bypass critical thinking and language production by over-relying on
AI-generated answers. 2.
Algorithmic Bias & Cultural Mismatch: Foreign-trained
AI models may promote content irrelevant to Costa Rican contexts, weakening
cultural relevance in learning. 3.
Digital Inequality: Unequal
infrastructure access between urban private institutions and rural public
schools could deepen educational divides. 4.
Weak Teacher Training: Without
AI literacy and pedagogical integration, teachers may misuse or underuse AI
tools. 5.
Privacy & Surveillance Concerns: AI
platforms collecting student data without transparency risk legal and ethical
violations. 6.
Technology-First Policies Without
Pedagogy: Hardware rollouts without curriculum redesign or
teacher support lead to wasted investments. 7.
Erosion of Teacher Roles: Cutting
human instruction in favor of AI could harm language learning and student
motivation. Recommendations
for Costa Rica 1. Adopt
a Human-Centred AI Framework:
2. Guarantee
Equity of Access
3. Strengthen
AI Literacy for Teachers & Students
4. Implement
Ethical & Privacy Safeguards
5. Co-Design
and Pilot Programs
Conclusion Created by Prof. Jonathan Acuña Solano August 2025 Based on Muthukrishna, M.,
Dai, J., Panizo Madrid, D., Sabherwal, R., Vanoppen, K., & Yao, H.
(2025). AI can revolutionise education but technology is not enough: Human
development meets cultural evolution. Journal of Human Development and
Capabilities, 26(3), 482–492. https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2025.2517740 |
Risks of Wrong AI Use in Education
Risks of Wrong AI Use in Education by Jonathan Acuña
The Risks of Misusing AI in Costa Rican Education by Jonathan Acuña
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