Artificial Intelligence and the Reconfiguration of Knowledge: Philosophical Implications for Contemporary Education

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly generative AI and large language models, has profoundly transformed the epistemological foundations of knowledge production, dissemination, and validation within contemporary educational systems. Rather than functioning merely as technological tools, AI systems increasingly operate as epistemic infrastructures that mediate how knowledge is generated, interpreted, and legitimized in academic environments. This article examines the philosophical implications of AI for contemporary education by synthesizing literature across philosophy of education, epistemology, cognitive science, and educational technology. The analysis explores how AI reshapes the nature of knowledge, the authority of expertise, the roles of teachers and learners, and the institutional structures of universities and schools. It further evaluates the ethical, epistemological, and pedagogical tensions that arise when algorithmic systems participate in knowledge production. While AI offers unprecedented opportunities for personalized learning, expanded access to information, and new forms of human–machine collaboration, it simultaneously challenges traditional assumptions about intellectual autonomy, critical thinking, and the meaning of education itself. The article concludes that contemporary education must reorient toward epistemic resilience, philosophical literacy, and human-centered AI integration in order to preserve the fundamental purposes of education in an AI-mediated knowledge society.