Generative AI as a mediational agent: Rethinking learning in sociocultural theory

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Debates about the implications of generative AI in education largely frame AI as a tool—an extension of existing mediational means that support human activity. Drawing on sociocultural theory, we propose the alternate concept of mediational agent to describe a class of systems that not only mediate action but also participate in interaction by generating contingent, responsive contributions. This reconceptualization challenges a foundational distinction between mediation and social interaction and has important implications for educational practice. It calls for the cultivation of durable, human-centered habits of participation that sustain learners’ agency and judgement in AI-mediated activity. We argue that these habits provide a foundation for more coherent approaches to pedagogy and research that prioritize human meaning-making in AI-mediated learning environments.