Towards a Typology of Educational Chatbots: From Classroom Learning to Cultural Memory and Emotional Understanding

Abstract

This paper proposes an original typology of educational chatbots distinguished by their narrative role, audience, and emotional or ethical dimension. It identifies three categories: pedagogical chatbots, designed for instructional and interactive learning; memorial chatbots, created to preserve collective memory and convey moral lessons about the past; and grief chatbots (griefbots), developed to mediate experiences of loss and reflection. Unlike existing studies that treat educational chatbots primarily as cognitive support tools, this typology expands their scope to include cultural and affective learning, positioning chatbots as mediators between knowledge, empathy, and remembrance. Examined through three interpretive lenses – (1) pedagogical, focusing on learning outcomes such as empathy, historical awareness, and cultural literacy; (2) ethical, addressing issues of consent, authenticity, and the moral limits of simulating deceased individuals; and (3) practical, concerning the curricular and institutional conditions for responsible adoption – the study situates chatbot development within Serbia’s educational and cultural landscape. It argues that the real innovation lies not in technical creation alone, but in the pedagogical and research work that transforms AI prototypes into meaningful tools for learning and reflection. The paper contributes an interdisciplinary framework for evaluating educational chatbots as pedagogical, memorial, and grief agents, and calls for future policy and research to establish national guidelines for their ethical, evidence-based use in schools, museums, and other learning environments.