Letters | Student wellbeing is not a problem easily solved with AI

Proposals such as piloting AI cameras that can detect students’ emotions may seem effective in the short term. Yet when we pause and think deeper, the implications are unsettling. In moments of urgency, technological solutions can feel reassuring – but education demands more than speed, it demands clarity of purpose.

As Professor Cheng Kai-ming has advocated, education must “return learning to students” and preserve students’ agency. When we discuss education, the first question should be: what is education for? Only then should we consider how systems, tools, curriculums and training can serve that purpose. If we hope to nurture reflective, self-aware young people, constant surveillance risks undermining the very capacities we seek to cultivate.

The issue is not simply about detecting unhappy students and making them happy quickly. Emotional wellbeing is rooted in deeper human needs – to be trusted, understood and meaningfully connected. At Just Feel, our Compassionate School Programme has long focused on strengthening human relationships in schools. This closely aligns with the Education Bureau’s 4Rs Mental Health Charter, which includes relationships.

Crucially, our understanding of relationships includes the ability to build, sustain and repair relationships – capacities that cannot be outsourced to artificial intelligence. While AI can be a helpful assistant, it can only support teachers who are equipped, willing and given the space to use it thoughtfully. Emotional care ultimately requires teachers’ own learning, growth and inner transformation.