Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence has become deeply integrated into contemporary social, economic, educational, commercial, and cultural life, transforming the ways individuals work, communicate, consume information, and make decisions. This article examines the expanding influence of AI and the ethical concerns emerging from its increasing integration into everyday life. While AI offers significant benefits through improved efficiency, predictive analysis, personalized services, innovation, and enhanced decision making, its growing ability to anticipate and influence human preferences raises important questions about autonomy and individual choice. Algorithmic systems increasingly shape consumption patterns, media preferences, communication, and social behaviour through data driven recommendations and targeted content. The article further explores concerns relating to algorithmic bias, stereotyping, privacy, surveillance, data mining, copyright, manipulation, and the misuse of personal information. The interaction between AI, social media, and commercial platforms can intensify existing inequalities and influence perceptions, preferences, and beliefs. These developments highlight the need for greater transparency, accountability, fairness, inclusivity, and protection of personal data. The article argues that AI development should remain human centred and prioritize the wellbeing, rights, and autonomy of users rather than purely commercial objectives. Developers, researchers, industries, academic institutions, governments, and civil society all have an important role in establishing ethical safeguards and responsible practices. Strong monitoring mechanisms, ethical oversight, digital literacy, and institutional accountability are essential to ensure that AI remains a tool for human advancement rather than a mechanism for exploitation, manipulation, or exclusion.

This editorial examines the expanding influence of artificial intelligence on contemporary social, professional, cultural, and environmental life. It considers both the opportunities and risks associated with the rapid development and normalization of AI, with particular attention to human connection, critical thinking, artistic expression, employment, algorithmic bias, discrimination, and environmental sustainability. The discussion highlights concerns surrounding dependence on personalized AI systems, the reproduction of biases through data driven algorithms, the growing resource demands of data centres, and the changing nature of employment in an increasingly technology driven economy. Alongside these contemporary concerns, the issue of the Indian Journal of Social Enquiry presents a diverse collection of scholarly contributions addressing education, history, democracy, gender, environmental movements, public finance, literature, ecology, and community based conservation. The featured studies examine theatre based education, the historical contribution of Zorawar Singh, democratic legitimacy among youth in Nepal and Sri Lanka, ecofeminist interpretations of Indian environmental movements, the fiscal impact of GST in Gujarat, poetry and ecological conflict in Northeast India, and community conserved areas. Collectively, the issue encourages critical social enquiry by connecting contemporary challenges with historical experiences and emerging perspectives on progress, development, citizenship, culture, and sustainability.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionising classrooms by making learning efficient, accessible, and personalised. AI-enabled tools such as intelligent tutoring systems and adaptive learning software, monitor students’ performance and provide customised study plans, allowing students to study at their own pace. Virtual assistants and chatbots offer instant feedback and guidance in communication, and computer grading lightens the administrative load for faculty members, permitting them to devote their time to teaching and advising. Outside the classroom, AI is transforming access to learning. Speech-to-text and text-to-speech functionality facilitate learning for disabled students, and textto-language programs aid in breaking down multilingual classroom barriers. Such technologies promote accessibility and inclusion of foreign students in education. However, integrating AI with education may also be fraught with danger. Issues such as privacy of information, digital disparities, and reduction of the human element in education need to be addressed. AI technologies are not equally accessible to all, which may cause them to widen educational disparities instead of reducing them. It is emphasised that ethical AI innovation, wise policymaking, and digital infrastructure investments be used to ensure that AI is accessible to all students on an equal basis, irrespective of their backgrounds. This study examines the potential of AI to revolutionise learning into possibilities and opportunities intertwined. It is hoped that AI improves future learning and customised education as well as becomes inclusive, if policymakers, educators, and technologists join hands in a collective effort.

The rapid pace of technological, social, and industrial change has created significant challenges for education policy and higher education in India. This article examines the evolution of Indian education through three major generational shifts, from traditional Guru Shishya education to mass education and subsequently to Education 3.0, driven by the Internet, information technology, innovation, and digital learning. While Education 3.0 expanded access, introduced blended learning, online programmes, digital resources, learning management systems, and stronger industry interfaces, it has struggled to respond adequately to emerging technologies such as cloud computing, artificial intelligence, robotics, social media, and genomics. The discussion highlights the continuing gap between educational provision, learner needs, and rapidly changing employment requirements. It argues for a more learner centred and flexible educational framework that emphasizes mentoring, experiential learning, continuous lifelong learning, customized programmes, higher order skills, and active student participation in curriculum development. Greater involvement of students, alumni, employers, and industry representatives in educational planning is also necessary. The article proposes Education 4.0 as an appropriate response to the changing industrial and technological environment, emphasizing the integration of hard and soft skills, meta skills, problem solving, participative citizenship, creativity, adaptability, and social sensitivity. Such an approach can make higher education more relevant, dynamic, inclusive, and responsive to future challenges.