This paper addresses how AI in education (AIED) must evolve to tackle the challenge of generative AI enabling students to "effortlessly bypass" genuine learning, emphasizing agency and motivation.

In plain terms

The widespread availability of powerful AI tools like ChatGPT presents a significant challenge to education, as students can now easily complete complex tasks without genuine effort or learning. The author calls this the "effortless bypass dilemma," which threatens to undermine education at scale. This paper argues that the field of Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIED) needs to adapt its mission. Instead of solely focusing on building more effective intelligent tools, AIED must prioritize ensuring learners *choose* to engage authentically with their learning, even when easier AI alternatives are available. Drawing on established theories of motivation and learning, the paper outlines five key directions for AIED: supporting student autonomy and agency (their sense of control and choice), building learner resilience to metacognitive threats (like the urge to take shortcuts), designing for interest and relevance, amplifying process-based assessment (evaluating how students learn, not just what they produce), and empowering teachers. The author also shares four envisioned technologies that embody these future-focused principles.