Beyond Adoption: Evidence, Values, and Governance in AI and Emerging-Technology Education
artificial intelligence in education, emerging technologies, responsible innovation, educational technology governance, thematic synthesis, Industry 5.0
Abstract
Artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are expanding through education faster than the field can establish which uses are pedagogically effective, normatively acceptable, and institutionally sustainable. This study conducts a prospective thematic synthesis of a Scopus export containing ten records indexed for 2027 and available on 25 July 2026. One non-educational record was excluded, leaving nine publications. Metadata, available abstracts, and accessible full texts were coded by technology family, educational level, research design, evidence maturity, institutional reach, teacher mediation, governance orientation, and normative purpose. The corpus divided into three equally sized clusters: AI and large language model integration; broad digital transformation, Industry 5.0, and sustainability; and domain-specific enactments involving technology diffusion, immersive simulation, computational thinking, and health education. Five studies were empirical or practice-oriented, two were reviews, and two were conceptual or speculative. Higher and professional education accounted for five studies, whereas primary and secondary education appeared only once each. The most consistent cross-study pattern was a movement beyond adoption: every included publication connected technology to a non-technical purpose such as agency, safety, academic integrity, cultural values, motivation, public health, or the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the frontier remained methodologically immature, with no longitudinal, comparative, or large-scale implementation evaluation. The article develops the Responsible Educational Technology Orchestration framework, which requires four jointly adequate conditions before scale: credible evidence, pedagogical mediation, value alignment, and accountable governance. This framework converts a fragmented horizon scan into a stage-gated research and implementation agenda for educational institutions and policymakers.
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