Using AI to Support Culturally Responsive Teaching

by Arika Singh

Rapidly, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become integrated into everyone’s everyday life. From answering random late-night questions to helping people find information at their fingertips and completing tasks more efficiently, AI continues to shape how we think, work, and solve problems. According to the International Organization for Standardization, AI is a branch of computer science that simulates human thinking processes, such as learning, problem-solving, and pattern recognition, through software. Because of this, AI has become increasingly common in education, where both teachers and students use it for lesson planning, assessment, critique, research, feedback, and personalized instruction. While AI can make teaching and learning more efficient, classrooms are made up of students with diverse cultures, languages, identities, and experiences. Diversity and inclusion are what support a classroom where students feel represented and respected. Considering inclusion and the use of AI, it is important to question not only how AI supports education but also how it supports culturally responsive teaching practices. Although AI can improve support for diverse learners, it is critical that educators use it intentionally and responsibly to retain critical thinking, cultural identity, and meaningful human relationships in the classroom.

AI has changed traditional teaching methods by supporting educators with lesson planning, assessment, feedback generation, and differentiated instruction for students with diverse learning needs. According to the American Psychological Association, classrooms are adapting to the existence of artificial intelligence. Zara Abrams explains that AI can “transform personalized learning and assessment,” allowing students to receive instruction tailored to their performance and learning patterns. Students may also use AI for tutoring support, research, brainstorming, study guides, and grammar assistance. Some researchers even describe AI as an “AI-tutor, AI-coach, AI-mentor,” showing how powerful these tools are becoming and how deeply they are being integrated into education (Mollick, 2023). While AI can support educators, parents, and students, it also raises the question, “Can this tool be damaging to students' engagement with knowledge?” Some educators are growing concerned that students may begin using AI “to outsource their thinking” rather than developing their own independent ideas and engaging deeply with learning. This concern connects to ideas from the article, “Open Digital Pedagogy = Critical Pedagogy,” which argues that education should not simply “become an act of depositing” information into students. Instead, students should be encouraged to question and critically engage with the information technology provides. The article also explains that digital tools should “empower them to critique it, dismantle it, and create new knowledge,” rather than just accepting information generated by AI. Because of this, teachers must use AI carefully and intentionally, making sure that technology supports meaningful learning and human connection instead of replacing student voice, creativity, and culturally responsive teaching practices. Educators can do this by giving students the opportunity to question information, using AI as a tool to back up their claims, and by using AI as a brainstorming tool rather than allowing it to complete assignments entirely, and by integrating classroom discussions and inquiry-based activities that allow students to use their own experiences, perspectives, and critical thinking. Allowing students to reflect on and engage with the material rather than relying on AI-generated answers can help enhance inquiry, creativity, and student-centered learning in classrooms.

Culturally responsive teaching supports classroom environments that feel welcoming, inclusive, and respectful of all students’ diverse identities and backgrounds. It supports teachers and students in building valuable relationships through different personal experiences, cultures, and languages. In diverse classrooms, students are exposed to peers and material from different races, languages, religious backgrounds, and cultural backgrounds, providing them with opportunities to learn from one another. Our society is built on many different cultures and identities, and classrooms should reflect that diversity rather than focus on a single culture. Creating inclusive learning environments where students feel comfortable expressing who they are and where they come from can help students feel more represented, valued, and connected within the classroom community. When students do not feel represented or included in classroom spaces, their confidence and engagement may decrease, leading them to feel disconnected from learning. If students are only exposed to one culture or perspective, they may struggle to see themselves reflected in classroom content, which can negatively impact their participation and sense of belonging. Culturally responsive teaching moves beyond this by creating spaces where students’ identities, experiences, and backgrounds are acknowledged and represented within learning environments. Ladson-Billings explains that culturally relevant teaching should help students develop “cultural competence” and “critical consciousness” alongside academic success (Ladson-Billings, 1995). This demonstrates that culturally responsive teaching is not only about representation, but also about empowering students to understand themselves and what they represent, and also understand the world around them. Culturally responsive teaching is especially important for multilingual learners because inclusive classrooms can help them feel more comfortable speaking, participating, and expressing themselves without fear of judgment or exclusion. Furthermore, culturally responsive teaching focuses on relationships, inclusion, and student identity. Therefore, teachers must think intentionally when integrating AI into classrooms to support culturally responsive teaching practices that help students feel valued and represented in their learning environments.

When AI and culturally responsive teaching collaborate, AI can support classrooms in many more inclusive ways. AI tools can help translate classroom materials for multilingual learners, making the material way more accessible for students who may not understand English. This can also be a pathway to expose other students to different languages as well. Teachers can also use AI to provide more real-life visuals, examples, activities and multiple forms of explanations for students with different learning styles and needs. In diverse classrooms, AI can help students research cultures, perspectives, and different experiences beyond their own backgrounds. Furthermore, AI can help educators as well with finding new instructional strategies or lesson ideas when certain teaching practices are not successful for all learners. Because classrooms are made up of students with diverse identities, cultures, languages, learning styles, and experiences, AI can become a supportive educational tool that helps teachers create more inclusive and accessible learning environments for both students and educators.

Although AI can support accessibility and inclusion in classrooms, it cannot replace the emotional aspects of teaching. AI lacks empathy, lived experiences, and the meaningful connections teachers build with students. According to “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Humanizing the Student Experience in the Age of AI,” culturally responsive teaching involves “recognizing and valuing students’ backgrounds, experiences, and identities in the learning process” (Cook & Hollebeke, 2024). Because culturally responsive teaching depends heavily on care, inclusion, and relationship-building, teachers remain the most important factor in helping students feel valued and supported within classrooms. Therefore, AI should serve as a supportive educational tool rather than replace meaningful human interaction and culturally responsive teaching practices.

To conclude, AI can be a big support system within culturally responsive classrooms by helping multilingual learners access content more easily and by exposing students to different cultures, perspectives, and experiences from around the world. However, teachers must use AI intentionally and responsibly because technology should not rob classrooms of the human connections, empathy, and sense of belonging that culturally responsive teaching is built upon. In the future and in my future classroom , I hope to see technology supporting classrooms rather than replacing humans, helping create more inclusive learning environments where students can discover cultures, perspectives, and the world around them without ever leaving the classroom.

References

• Abrams, Z. (2025, January 1). Classrooms are adapting to the use of artificial intelligence. American Psychological Association. American Psychological Association
• Cook, E., & Hollebeke, N. (2024). Culturally responsive teaching and humanizing the student experience in the age of AI. Every Learner Everywhere. Every Learner Everywhere
• Edutopia. Culturally responsive teaching. Edutopia
• Ferlazzo, L. (2024, October 30). Equity and bias in AI: What educators should know. Edutopia. Edutopia
• Illinois Blog Network. Using AI to support culturally responsive teaching practices. University of Illinois Blogs
• Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. Theory Into Practice
• Rao, S., & Scheffel-Dunand, D. AI and educators: Enhancing culturally responsive pedagogy. eCampusOntario Pressbooks. eCampusOntario Pressbooks
• Roberts, J. (2025, January 23). Addressing AI use proactively in the classroom. Edutopia. Edutopia
• SchoolAI builds culturally responsive AI tools for education. SchoolAI
• Stommel, J., & Morris, S. M. (2015, January 6). Open digital pedagogy = Critical pedagogy. Hybrid Pedagogy. Hybrid Pedagogy