The recent foray of artificial intelligence (AI) applications into the domain of education has generated both excitement and concern among experts. Artificial intelligence and inclusive education, edited by Jeremy Knox, Yuchen Wang, and Michael Gallagher, examines various aspects of AI in education. The book is organized into three different themes with four chapters each, through contributions from 22 different authors.

Part 1 is “Artificial Intelligence and Inclusion--Opening a Dialogue.” The contributions in Part 1 are unique in that they are near unanimous in airing concerns related to biases of AI. Datasets are representations of patterns from past experiences, wherein the patterns might have social biases within them. In uncritical AI applications, these biases could get reinforced, leading to unfairness. The theme also highlights that such biases could “even become a tool to further social and political divide.”

Part 2, “Emerging Practices,” contains contributions based on real-life experiments carried out with applications of AI on different categories of students. The chapters highlight different pedagogical aspects while incorporating robots and other AI applications in the curriculum, and how they tend to influence the way in which children respond. Also included is a chapter on how AI can enable inclusiveness for children diagnosed with illness.

Perhaps the highlight of the book is the last part, “Critical Perspectives and Speculative Futures.” For example, Part 3 begins with Michael Rowe’s excellent critical analysis of contemporary education, whereby he feels that the risks of enthusiasm fading out are too high as it incorporates the cultivation of a system of obedience. Furthermore, Rowe is critical of recommender systems in education: “deterministic recommender systems may effectively close down students’ options for diverse perspectives.”

The book would be of great significance to researchers working in the fields of education, AI, and other branches of the social sciences. Hopefully, the editors can bring out successive editions on similar themes in the future.