PAIDEIA: A Human-Centered Pedagogical Framework for Responsible Generative AI Integration in Ancient Greek Literature in Translation

The rapid emergence of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is transforming educational practices while raising fundamental questions concerning learner agency, critical thinking, ethical responsibility, and the role of teachers. These challenges are particularly significant in humanities education, where interpretation, dialogue, evidence-based reasoning, and ethical reflection constitute central learning objectives. This conceptual paper proposes the PAIDEIA Framework, a human-centered pedagogical framework for the responsible integration of GenAI into the teaching of Ancient Greek Literature in Translation at the lower secondary level. The framework synthesizes five complementary dimensions: classical paideia, Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HCAI), AI literacy, critical thinking, and dialogic learning. Its central principle is that AI-generated responses should function not as authoritative answers but as epistemic stimuli and objects of critical inquiry, prompting learners to question, compare, verify, interpret, and justify. The paper further presents an illustrative pedagogical application based on a previously developed teaching scenario concerning Euripides’ Helen. The application demonstrates how GenAI can be embedded within a sequence of interpretation, critical examination, dialogue, and reflection while preserving teacher responsibility and learner agency. The paper does not claim empirical validation; rather, it establishes a conceptual foundation and design principles for future classroom implementation and mixed-methods research.