AIF Insights No. 32 (2025) | Human Educators in Cambodia’s AI Era: Teaching Beyond the Algorithm

This paper examines the integration of Generative AI (GenAI) into Cambodia’s education system and its impact on the teaching profession. While GenAI tools provide benefits such as personalized learning, real-time feedback, and student engagement, they also raise cultural, ethical, and technical challenges. GenAI cannot replicate human capacities for moral guidance, empathy, or cultural interpretation, and its Western-trained models risk misrepresenting Cambodian values and histories. The paper argues that educators remain essential as mentors, ethical advisors, and cultural interpreters, guiding students to critically engage with AI-generated content. Policy recommendations stress the need for teacher preparation in AI ethics, investment in Khmer-centric datasets, and a human-centered, culturally grounded strategy to ensure that GenAI strengthens rather than undermines education in Cambodia.