Our TechTrends series on technology, learning and creativity, has focused recently on generative AI’s impact on education through expert interviews, practitioner experiences, and historical analyses. This article addresses a critical challenge: How do we create learning environments that evolve thoughtfully with AI, rather than simply adopting tools within existing structures?

Moving beyond technological determinism, we argue that AI’s educational impact depends not on the technologies themselves but on the systems in which they operate. We extend beyond physical and digital environments to draw on the Five Spaces for Design in Education framework (Warr et al., 2020). This framework identifies five interrelated design spaces (artifacts, processes, experiences, systems, and cultures) each shaping how technologies are enacted. Importantly, it assumes that artifacts (like AI tutors or writing assistants) rarely determine outcomes on their own; their effects are mediated through processes (teaching routines, assessment practices), experiences (student engagement, teacher interactions), systems (institutional structures, policies), and cultures (shared beliefs and values).

From a Five Spaces perspective, AI tools are one artifact. Their impact depends on whether educators reconfigure assessment processes, design collaborative experiences, adapt departmental systems of support, and cultivate cultures of iterative experimentation rather than product-only evaluation.

Abstract, citation and link to article given below.

Citation
Henriksen, D., Woo, L. J., & Mishra, P. (2025). Beyond Tools and Training: Building Sustainable Learning Environments that Evolve with AI. TechTrends. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-025-01134-5

Abstract
This article examines how educational organizations can build sustainable learning environments that evolve with artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI). Drawing on systems thinking, organizational learning, and educational change research, we argue that effective integration requires attention beyond tools and training to the ecological conditions that influence adoption and implementation. We explore how physical and digital learning spaces, organizational culture, professional development, and leadership practices influence whether AI amplifies or undermines learning. Using the Five Spaces for Design in Education framework, we highlight the importance of adaptability, psychological safety, and collaborative networks in navigating uncertainty and preventing deterministic narratives of technological inevitability. We find that the future of AI in education depends not on the technologies themselves but on the human choices and resilient ecosystems that guide their use.