Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) As a Critical Friend: The Affordances and Limitations.

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Title: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) As a Critical Friend: The Affordances and Limitations.
Authors: Frambaugh-Kritzer, Charlotte1, Petroelje Stolle, Elizabeth2 stollee@gvsu.edu
Source: Studying Teacher Education: Journal of Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices. Aug2025, Vol. 21 Issue 2, p188-211. 24p.
Subject Terms: *Autodidacticism, Artificial intelligence in education
Abstract: This qualitative self-study contributes new insights on critical friendship, specifically related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot utility trends, asking: In what ways can AI serve as our critical friend? And, what are the affordances and limitations of AI as a critical friend, compared to our human critical friends? To answer these questions, the authors selected Pi.ai/talk, an AI tool they later nicknamed Pia. After interacting with Pia (using data from a previous study), they compared Pia's responses to those of two human critical friends, Anne and Anders, who originally provided feedback in their previous self-study. Drawing on theoretical and conceptual perspectives (Thought Collective, Anatomy of Critical Friend Attributes, & Critical Friend Definition Continuum) and using four data sources, the authors applied multiple qualitative analysis tools to determine the affordances and limitations of Pia. They found Pia could serve as a critical friend when examining her critical friend attributes because to some extent she provided feedback to their thinking, probed thoughtful questions, and remained in a positive tone. Although Pia had some affordances in her ability to serve as a critical friend, the data evidenced several limitations in how she met the critical attributes in the areas of constraints, trust, and relational dynamics; especially when juxtaposing Pia's feedback to Anne's and Anders' feedback. Given the findings, the authors argue AI tools can complement human critical friends in self-study research, but as of the date of this publication, they do not advocate for replacing human critical friends entirely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Studying Teacher Education: Journal of Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) As a Critical Friend: The Affordances and Limitations.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Studying+Teacher+Education%3A+Journal+of+Self-Study+of+Teacher+Education+Practices%22">Studying Teacher Education: Journal of Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices</searchLink>. Aug2025, Vol. 21 Issue 2, p188-211. 24p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Autodidacticism%22">Autodidacticism</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Artificial+intelligence+in+education%22">Artificial intelligence in education</searchLink>
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  Label: Abstract
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  Data: This qualitative self-study contributes new insights on critical friendship, specifically related to Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot utility trends, asking: In what ways can AI serve as our critical friend? And, what are the affordances and limitations of AI as a critical friend, compared to our human critical friends? To answer these questions, the authors selected Pi.ai/talk, an AI tool they later nicknamed Pia. After interacting with Pia (using data from a previous study), they compared Pia's responses to those of two human critical friends, Anne and Anders, who originally provided feedback in their previous self-study. Drawing on theoretical and conceptual perspectives (Thought Collective, Anatomy of Critical Friend Attributes, & Critical Friend Definition Continuum) and using four data sources, the authors applied multiple qualitative analysis tools to determine the affordances and limitations of Pia. They found Pia could serve as a critical friend when examining her critical friend attributes because to some extent she provided feedback to their thinking, probed thoughtful questions, and remained in a positive tone. Although Pia had some affordances in her ability to serve as a critical friend, the data evidenced several limitations in how she met the critical attributes in the areas of constraints, trust, and relational dynamics; especially when juxtaposing Pia's feedback to Anne's and Anders' feedback. Given the findings, the authors argue AI tools can complement human critical friends in self-study research, but as of the date of this publication, they do not advocate for replacing human critical friends entirely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Studying Teacher Education: Journal of Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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        Value: 10.1080/17425964.2024.2335465
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Autodidacticism
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      – SubjectFull: Artificial intelligence in education
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              Text: Aug2025
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              Y: 2025
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