Education systems worldwide are not merely in crisis; they are in a state of productive stagnation, they consistently fail to achieve their stated goals, yet this failure is perversely functional, maintaining existing social hierarchies. Into this fraught arena strides Artificial Intelligence, hailed as a disruptive saviour. But what if the greatest risk of AI is not that it will fail, but that it will succeed?

We are facing the Augmentation Paradox, by automating and optimizing a broken system, AI does not transform it, it solidifies its core flaws, making them more efficient, scalable, and harder to challenge. The very tools meant to bridge gaps may instead build higher walls, not through malfunction, but through perfect alignment with the system’s unspoken rules.

Our current systems suffer from what can be termed legacy pathologies, outdated curricula, underprepared teachers, and a fixation on standardized testing. These are not accidental glitches but deeply embedded features. When we deploy an AI tutor to compensate for a teacher shortage, we don’t fix the shortage, we institutionalize the workaround. The system learns it can continue to under-invest in human capital because a technological patch exists. The role of the teacher shifts from mentor and intellectual guide to a mere AI system manager, further de-professionalizing the role and deterring the talented individuals we need.

AI solutions in schools lacking electricity is not just impractical, it’s a form of technological........

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