Newsletter October 2025: A Future with AI - 12 Perspectives on How AI Is Shaping Us as Humans

How is AI reshaping what it means to be human? This month’s newsletter highlights a new study from Elon University exploring how AI is influencing empathy, creativity, and critical thinking.

By Christian Hatting Voss, cvos@sdu.dk, 10/31/2025

In our relatively small department, we have spent the past three years working more or less intensively with AI and this work just keeps evolving with new perspectives and continuous development.

We are still discussing how we can support teachers in integrating AI into their teaching while also ensuring the use of secure platforms. How it affects the validity of our exams, whether we should recommend one model over another as a recommendation to secure this, and whether we are facing a discursive or a structural transformation. And in this context, how we can support both teachers and students in navigating concerns about using AI in exam assignments. How we can create a common language at SDU for working with digital competencies across subjects and programmes.

Meanwhile, everyone in the department is getting ready for our annual conference, TAL2025- which this year focuses on AI and teaching - featuring a highly anticipated keynote. We are clearly not lacking things to address when it comes to AI—neither as a department nor as a university—and new opportunities are constantly emerging, along with important considerations.

Changes in The Age of AI

In this newsletter, I am addressing a number of important reflections, based on the report “Being Human in 2035 – How Are We Changing in the Age of AI?” (Anderson & Rainie, 2025), published by Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center. The report is based on qualitative and quantitative research involving more than 300 experts from around the world – including technologists, researchers, ethicists, business leaders, and policymakers – who were asked to reflect on how AI might affect “the essence of being human” by 2035. This has resulted in a wide range of well-considered and often conflicting perspectives.

Overall, there is broad agreement among the participants that we are facing a “fundamental reshaping” of the human conditions as AI becomes an integrated part of everyday life – and that AI will not only transform our working and societal lives, but also influence core human traits such as empathy, social and emotional intelligence, critical thinking, agency, and our sense of meaning and purpose. At the same time, it is also emphasized that AI can enhance curiosity, creativity, and learning – provided the technology is used responsibly.

The report is structured around a summary of the quantitative findings, in which the experts assessed how AI may impact twelve key human characteristics, followed by a series of qualitative essays and quotes that elaborate on the participants’ views and concerns. Below, I have provided a brief summary of each of the twelve points, illustrated in the graphic below.

There is a general concern among participants that AI’s ability to deliver quick, superficial answers will make it less attractive to engage in deep reflection and critical thinking. Several participants point out that easy access to information and automated solutions could lead to an “unlearning” of the ability to analyse complex issues, which may reinforce polarization by reducing our ability to engage in nuanced debate. However, some also highlight that AI can be used to support and expand human intellect – but only if the technology is applied consciously and critically.
AI’s presence in social relationships is seen as potentially transformative for how we understand and express empathy, presence, and emotional intelligence. Many participants note that AI-driven relationships – such as virtual partners, AI friends, or automated services – may make it easier to avoid “difficult” aspects of human interaction, which could lead to loss of social skills, increased loneliness, and a weakened ability to read and respond to others’ emotions. On the other side, some participants see opportunities in AI helping to develop new forms of social intelligence – for example, by translating emotions across cultures or supporting people with special needs.
A growing reliance on AI may cause people to lose confidence in their own abilities and judgment. As AI takes over more decisions and tasks, it can create a sense of no longer being needed or competent. This may weaken motivation, ambition, and the desire to learn. However, some participants also point out that AI can be used to boost self-confidence, if applied as a learning tool rather than a replacement.
AI’s ability to filter and personalise information may lead to a fragmentation of society into isolated information bubbles, where it becomes harder to sustain a shared understating of norms and values. This makes it harder to maintain a common understanding of truth, facts, and social norms – potentially undermining trust in institutions, media, and democratic processes. At the same time, some participants argue that AI can also be used to strengthen shared values, if designed with a focus on inclusion and community.
AI’s impact on mental health is complex. On one hand, AI may worsen loneliness, dependency, and a loss of purpose – especially if people use it as a substitute for human contact. On the other hand, AI can also support mental well-being, for example through personalised counselling, therapy, or access to communities for vulnerable groups. However, participants emphasise that the balance depends on how the technology is implemented and regulated.
Many participants express concern about the growing role of AI in making decisions that traditionally require human empathy and ethical reflection. As AI systems are increasingly used in areas like justice, healthcare, and social interaction, there’s a risk that we become less engaged in our own moral reasoning and more detached from the human complexities of responsibility. Still, some see potential in using AI to support ethical awareness— if the technology is designed with transparency and accountability in mind.
While AI can give the impression of increased control and autonomy, it may in fact reduce our ability to act independently. As more decisions and actions are made by AI systems, that are difficult to interpret, there’s a risk that individuals become passive users rather than active agents. This can lead to a kind of digital dependency, where initiative is gradually handed over to AI tools and services. Still, some participants emphasise that AI also holds the potential to strengthen personal agency—if it is used deliberately as a supportive tool, rather than a system that dictates choices.
As AI becomes more integrated into daily life, it may disrupt how we understand ourselves and where we find meaning. When traditional sources of identity—such as work, community, and family—are diminished or transformed, people may struggle to maintain a coherent sense of self. The report highlights a growing risk of individuals developing fragmented digital identities, potentially losing touch with who they are. At the same time, AI is also seen as a tool for self-exploration and creative expression, offering new ways to shape identity and purpose—especially when used with intention and reflection.
AI has the potential to both sharpen and dull our metacognitive abilities. On one hand, it can help us become more aware of our mental habits—by highlighting biases, offering feedback, or prompting us to reconsider our assumptions. On the other hand, if we rely too heavily on AI to guide our decisions, we may gradually lose the habit of questioning our own reasoning. Over time, this could weaken our capacity for independent reflection and critical self-awareness.
Compared to other areas, this one is viewed with more optimism. Many participants believe that AI can spark curiosity, personalize learning experiences, and open up new ways of accessing knowledge. But there’s also a cautionary note: if we accept AI-generated answers without questioning them, we risk flattening our thinking and missing out on deeper learning. Still, some see AI as a powerful driver of lifelong learning and interdisciplinary curiosity.
Participants are generally optimistic about AI’s potential to enhance decision-making and problem-solving—particularly by providing access to more information, diverse perspectives, and advanced analytical tools. However, there is also a concern that leaving too much responsibility to AI can significantly weaken the ability for independent problem solving and critical judgement if AI acts as the primary decision maker.
AI can expand the possibilities for creativity and innovation—for instance, by inspiring new ideas, modes of collaboration, or artistic expression. Some participants describe AI as a “creative partner” that can help explore new possibilities. However, there is also a risk that AI could standardize creativity and make it harder to cultivate unique, human expressions—particularly if the technology is used uncritically or primarily for efficiency.

The reflections above highlight a dual challenge, the university is currently facing: On one hand we must embrace the learning opportunities AI offers. On the other hand, we must protect the human capacities, that define higher education—critical thinking, academic judgment, integrity, social and ethical responsibility, and student well-being.

That’s why it’s essential that we continue to prioritise digital competence across programmes at SDU—not just as a technical skillset, but as a critical, ethical, and transparent framework. One that enables students to navigate misinformation, understand data practices, and use AI responsibly.

As a starting point for this work, SDU CTL sees EU’s Digital Competence Framework for Citizens (DigComp 2.2) —adapted to a university context—a valuable foundation. We are also looking forward to the release of version 3.0 later this year, which will include an increased focus on AI.

In collaboration with Inger-Marie Falgren Christensen, we are hosting a workshop that explores how SDU can establish a common language around digital competence and integrate it into teaching within a university context.

Referencer

Imagining the Digital Future Center. (2025, March 31). Being Human in 2035: Experts predict significant change in the ways humans think, feel, act and relate to one another in the Age of AI - Imagining the Digital Future Center. https://imaginingthedigitalfuture.org/reports-and-publications/being-human-in-2035/

Vuorikari, R., Kluzer, S., & Punie, Y. (2022). DigComp 2.2: The Digital Competence Framework for Citizens - With new examples of knowledge, skills and attitudes, EUR 31006 EN. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2022. https://doi.org/10.2760/490274

Current developments on DigComp (2024-2025). (n.d.). The Joint Research Centre: EU Science Hub. https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/projects-and-activities/education-and-training/digital-transformation-education/digital-competence-framework-citizens-digcomp/current-developments-digcomp-2024-2025_en