Philosophy has long shaped understanding of human cognition and the nature of being – from Plato’s realism and theory of forms to contemporary theories of embodied cognition, the role of philosophy has been central in shaping conceptions of humanhood (being human). Today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) challenges these long-standing ideas and raises fundamental questions about the nature of being, intelligence, and authentic human engagement in education, professional, and social settings.

The current research study situates this discourse within Computing Science Education (CSE) and Software Engineering (SE) to investigate the meaning of authentic human engagement in these fields and the challenges Generative AI (GenAI) potentially introduces. To this end, the study employs a three-phase methodological approach: first, through theoretical analysis, we explored traditional and contemporary philosophical accounts of humanhood and authenticity; second, based on the previous phase, we proceeded with an empirical investigation based on interpretative phenomenological analysis, which placed practitioners in SE, academics, and students in computer science university departments at the center of an investigation of how they experience and negotiate the meaning of authentic human engagement within these fields and the potential tensions that the use of GenAI tools introduce. Finally, by synthesizing these findings under a philosophical and sociological lens, the study reveals how authentic human engagement is reshaped by the use of GenAI tools, revealing tensions at the intersection of ontology, epistemology, and axiology in CSE and SE.

Our findings highlight the limitations of the instrumentalist view of GenAI, illuminating how the integration of these tools into human systems and practices could redefine who we are becoming, how our knowledge is constructed, and how our value system is shaped, leading to a paradigm shift in educational settings and professional practice. This paper makes three key contributions: (1) a conceptual framework for understanding authentic human engagement in CSE and SE and potential tensions in an AI-driven world, (2) a hybrid methodological approach for investigating and understanding complex human phenomena by integrating philosophical and empirical perspectives, and (3) implications for the teaching and learning of computer science. In doing so, we hope to encourage a reconsideration of the way GenAI systems are developed and integrated within education systems, advocating for a transformation in education in order to preserve what is distinctively human in learning.

Maria Kallia is an assistant professor in the School of Computing Science (Centre for Computing Science Education) at the University of Glasgow.