Worldview changes among Russian seventh-graders under the influence of AI technologies: A theoretical and empirical study

Abstract

This article examines the transformation of the worldview of Russian seventh-graders under the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Based on a theoretical analysis and an empirical study conducted in 2023 and 2025, structural changes in the cognitive, communicative, and social domains of adolescents were identified. The empirical part of the study consisted of a series of baseline experiments conducted in the form of speech development lessons on the topic ‘Artificial intelligence: Benefits or harm’. In 2023, the experiment involved 13 seventh-graders (aged 13–14) from Lyceum No. 12 in Novosibirsk, and in 2025, 13 students of the same age from Maslyaninskaya School No. 1. Both stages employed the same methodology, which included group discussion and an essay writing task, enabling a comparative analysis of students’ arguments over a two-year period. The study shows that AI contributes to the development of a hybrid worldview oriented towards information management and the integration of digital experience. The comparative analysis reveals the normalization of AI technologies: in 2023, perceptions of AI combined personal experiences and collective cultural fears, whereas in 2025 students’ arguments became more concrete and grounded in practical interaction with real services (voice assistants, chatbots, and neural networks). At the same time, a dual perception of AI persists: pragmatic recognition of its everyday benefits (support in education, daily life, and medicine) is combined with abstract fears of catastrophic scenarios (risk of unemployment, addiction, and a ‘machine rebellion’). The study highlights the need to develop students’ digital literacy, critical thinking, and ethical competence in order to adapt to technological changes and bridge the gap between using AI and understanding its underlying principles and consequences.