AI, classification, and education

Making up new policy subjects in old and predictable taxonomies

Bibliographic Data

ID11166189
AuthorsKalervo N Gulson (0000-0002-3581-9935, The University of Sydney), Kalervo Gulson (The University of Sydney, corresponding author), Sam Sellar (0000-0002-2840-5021, The University of Adelaide), P Taylor Webb (0000-0003-1207-4333, University of British Columbia)
Year2026
Pages1-15
Publication date2026-02-25
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Sociology of Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0142-5692 • E-ISSN: 1465-3346
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01425692.2026.2634096
OpenAlexW7133912056
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited39

This paper explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping classificatory practices in education governance, with a focus on policy subjects such as teachers, students, policy makers, and school leaders. Drawing on Ian Hacking’s concept of ‘making up’ people, we examine whether AI alters the historical role of statistics in constructing policy subjects. We aim to answer two interrelated questions: One, how does AI contribute to the practices of classifying people? Two, what implications does this contribution have for the governance of education? We contend that AI reinforces established logics of classification in education while potentially becoming a new actor in the governing process, influencing policy formation, implementation, and evaluation. Our argument relies on three assumptions: (1) classification is central to the making of policy subjects; (2) AI amplifies existing classificatory mechanisms; and (3) AI may eventually constitute a qualitatively new kind of policy actor in education.

Ethnography · Public policy · Qualitative research · Artificial Intelligence Applications · Artificial Intelligence in Education · Online Learning and Analytics

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