Abstract:

As traditional anthropological fields evolve, new types of fields emerge. With the advent of chat GPT, humans and Artificial Intelligence increasingly interact, creating new realms of action that could be characterized as hybrid communities. These new spaces allow people to meet and interact with AI, a new ontological category according to contemporary theorists, redefining the concept of "encounter." This means that interaction is no longer limited to physical meetings with humans but is achieved through data that increasingly simulate human emotions due to enhanced technological developments. In these hybrid communities, the analysis and interpretation of the conditions leading to the collapse of the boundaries between social and technological, biology and machinery, natural and artificial, are crucial for understanding the impact of technology on social relationships. To investigate the potential integration of Artificial Inteligenc (AI) in early childhood education, we conducted a sociological experiment. The experiment involved introducing a virtual agent, an artificial intelligence application that interacts with users through conversation, to six kindergarten teachers and one robotics teacher. This study, part of the broader research project "Robots go to kindergarten," developed at the Ionian University in Greece, aimed to analyze and interpret educators' reactions to AI, creating hybrid experimental environments.

We named the virtual agent FruFru, and it was designed with three principal educational objectives: to facilitate understanding of the ontological nature of AI, to encourage critical thinking, and to cultivate empathy. The virtual agent employed narrative techniques to motivate children to create and illustrate stories, engaging them in the process with the DALL-E AI. Data from articles and educational materials informed FruFru's profile, refined through interactive communication and prompting systems.
Qualitative, semi-structured interviews with teachers revealed their initial fear about artificial intelligence (AI). However, these concerns were overcome through active engagement. Τeachers started attributing human qualities and behaviors to artificial intelligence, considering its integration into educational institutions. In addition, AI's ability to analyse and respond to human interactions contributed to the expansion of social dynamics. In particular, AI facilitated the creation of hybrid realities that blended the virtual and physical worlds and provided constant access to information about lesson organisation and classroom management. This immediate response encouraged teachers to imagine AI as a counsellor, always present when they needed it.This research highlights AI's role in creating new hybrid environments for socialization and knowledge construction, underscoring the need for further research.

Keywords:

Virtual agent in kindergarten, AI in early childhood education, hybrid environments, Chat GPT, Kindergarten teachers' perceptions about AI.