Unpacking the Ethics of Using AI in Primary and Secondary Education: A Systematic Literature Review

Please note that an expanded version of this preprint has since been published in AI & Ethics. Please go to the following Open Access article for most up to date version of this literature review:Wieczorek, M., Hosseini, M. & Gordijn, B. Unpacking the ethics of using AI in primary and secondary education: a systematic literature review. AI Ethics (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-025-00770-0Background: This paper provides a systematic review of the literature discussing the ethics of using artificial intelligence in primary and secondary education (AIPSED). Although recent advances in AI have led to increased interest in its use in education, discussions about the ethical impacts of this new development are dispersed. Our literature review consolidates discussions that occurred in different epistemic communities interested in AIPSED and offers an ethical analysis of the debate. Method: The review followed the PRISMA-Ethics guidelines and included 48 sources published between 2016 and 2023. Results: Using a thematic approach, we subsumed ethical issues under seventeen categories, with four outlining potential positive developments and thirteen identifying perceived negative consequences.Discussion: We argue that empirical research and in-depth engagement with ethical theory and philosophy of education is needed to adequately assess the challenges introduced by AIPSED.