Dilemma in Postdigital Era: Liberation of Autodidactism vs. Risks of Dehumanizing Education

This paper critically explores one of the central paradoxes of postdigital education: the simultaneous liberation and risk generated by AI-supported autodidactic learning. As artificial intelligence, personalization systems, and open digital infrastructures increasingly shape educational practices, learners gain unprecedented autonomy, flexibility, and access to knowledge. However, these same developments raise profound concerns regarding the dehumanization of education, including diminished empathy, weakened social bonds, and the marginalization of human judgment. Drawing on classical critiques of schooling by Freire, Illich, Holt, and Descartes, and integrating contemporary postdigital perspectives articulated by Jandrić and Knox, the study situates current AI-driven educational transformations within a broader philosophical and pedagogical framework. Through a conceptual analysis of emerging AI applications in learning environments, the paper examines how autodidacticism can function both as an emancipatory force and as a potential mechanism of isolation and algorithmic dependency. The article argues that the future of postdigital education depends on maintaining cognitive sovereignty and human-centered values. It emphasizes the importance of transparency, ethical AI design, open-source ecosystems, and hybrid pedagogical models that balance technological innovation with dialogue, empathy, and social responsibility. By addressing both opportunities and risks, this work contributes a critical, theoretically grounded perspective to ongoing debates on artificial intelligence, autonomy, and the human meaning of education in the postdigital era.