Artificial Intelligence Ethics in Education: A Systematic Review of Challenges, Policy Governance Frameworks, and Pedagogical Integration Directions

The increasingly deep integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the pedagogical environment is placing urgent demands on the establishment of new values and norms. This article provides a systematic review of AI ethics in education based on contemporary international research, focusing on analyzing three core dimensions: practical challenges, policy governance frameworks, and pedagogical integration directions. The synthesized results indicate that, alongside its innovation potential, the application of AI faces serious ethical risks, particularly the risk of exacerbating inequality, algorithmic bias, and concerns regarding learner data privacy infringement. To address these challenges, recent studies have proposed a shift from theoretical principles to practical governance models, such as the EAGFAL framework or UNESCO’s recommendations, aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the use of AI in education. More importantly, the article identifies a new direction in pedagogical approaches: AI ethics should not merely be viewed as a technical barrier but needs to be developed as a core competency. Integrating ethics into the educational curriculum helps educators and learners maintain autonomy, critical thinking, and independent decision-making capabilities in the face of technological assistance. The article’s conclusion affirms that ethics is the mandatory foundation for AI to become a tool promoting sustainable and humanistic educational development.