Robotics and Artificial Intelligence in Education: Transformations, Challenges, and Future Directions

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics into educational settings represents one of the most significant and contested developments in contemporary education. This discussion and opinion paper critically examines the current state of AI and robotics in education, drawing exclusively on peer-reviewed and scholarly literature to analyse research trends, impacts on teaching and learning, AI literacy development, student engagement, learning outcomes, ethical considerations, and policy gaps. The paper argues that while AI and robotics hold considerable transformative potential across all levels of education, their effective and equitable integration requires sustained structural investment, coherent policy frameworks, rigorous teacher preparation, and an unwavering commitment to ethical practice. The review reveals that research in this field remains geographically concentrated, methodologically short-term, and insufficiently attentive to equity, human-centred design, and the broader social implications of automation in education. Recommendations are offered for educators, researchers, policymakers, and institutional leaders seeking to navigate this rapidly evolving landscape responsibly.