Defining ‘the Force’ of artificial intelligence in education: exploring the future of teaching through informed speculation

In the 'Star Wars' universe, the Force is a powerful energy that can be harnessed for good or evil. Similarly, artificial intelligence (AI) in education is often depicted as a transformative power capable of revolutionizing teaching and learning. This paper explores possible futures in education in relation to generative AI and predictive AI, using informed speculation to offer insights into the future. As our visions for tomorrow's technology are being defined today, it is important to invite teachers to define the technology we should strive for. This paper presents two co-design workshops involving seven secondary-school teachers with diverse experiences and understandings of AI. Analysis of the workshop recordings informed three narrative episodes that center on lesson-planning in the future, the technical divide, and assessment agency. Education fiction is used as a mode for deep reflection on the results, staging scenarios and exploring the implications of AI in education. The results suggest that while teachers fear changes to their profession, they also offer constructive ideas for AI's potential use. This informed speculation helps to elaborate on challenges and possibilities AI poses for teachers, providing important insights into how to harness AI effectively in teaching while avoiding techno-solutionism by broadening future perspectives.