GENERATIVE DEBATE AS A PRACTICE OF INQUIRY IN THE AGE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

The rapid diffusion of artificial intelligence is transforming educational environments and raising new questions about the ways knowledge is accessed, interpreted, and discussed. While educational debates have often focused on technological innovation and AI literacy (Holmes et al., 2019; UNESCO, 2023), the growing availability of systems capable of generating explanations, summaries, and arguments invites a broader reflection on the educational role of inquiry and argumentation. In contexts where answers can be produced instantaneously, the challenge is no longer limited to accessing information but increasingly concerns the ability to critically interrogate the responses generated within AI-mediated environments. The paper introduces the concept of Generative Debate as a theoretical framework for rethinking the educational function of debate in the age of artificial intelligence. Drawing on studies in argumentation theory (Toulmin, 1958; Kuhn, 1991, 2005) and recent research on artificial intelligence in education (Lo, 2023; Cotton et al., 2024), the article argues that debate should be understood not merely as a means of developing communication or persuasive skills, but as a practice of inquiry through which learners critically examine interpretations, evidence, and knowledge claims. The article suggests that the educational value of argumentation lies increasingly in its capacity to transform the abundance of AI-generated responses into opportunities for investigation, deliberation, and reflective engagement with complex issues. From this perspective, Generative Debate is proposed as a pedagogical response to the challenges of contemporary AI-mediated educational environments, reaffirming the centrality of inquiry within processes of teaching and learning.