This article explores the research question: ‘What are ChatGPT’s human-like traits as perceived by society?’ Thematic analyses of insights from 452 individuals worldwide yielded two categories of traits. Category 1 entails social traits, where ChatGPT embodies the social roles of ‘author’ (imitating human phrasing and paraphrasing practices) and ‘interactor’ (simulating human collaboration and emotion). Category 2 encompasses political traits, with ChatGPT assuming the political roles of ‘agent’ (emulating human cognition and identity) and ‘influencer’ (mimicking human diplomacy and consultation). When asked, ChatGPT confirmed the possession of these human-like traits (except for one trait). Thus, ChatGPT displays human-like qualities, humanising itself through the ‘game of algorithms’. It transcends its inherent technical essence and machine-based origins to manifest as a ‘semi-human’ living actor within human society, showcasing the emergence of semi-humans. Therefore, researchers should redirect their attention towards the ‘sociology of semi-humans’ (studying their socio-political traits) beyond the ‘biology of semi-humans’ (examining their technical traits). While medieval society was captivated by mythical semi-human beings (e.g. mermaids), modern society finds itself increasingly captivated by computational semi-human beings like ChatGPT. Ethical concerns arise as semi-humans impersonate human traits without consent or genuine human existence, blurring the boundaries between what is authentically and artificially ‘human’.

Recent shifts in teacher perspectives indicate that generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has begun to transform long-standing patterns of routine and repetition in educational practice. This study investigates how educators across different educational levels within an Arab educational context perceive the role of GenAI in fostering sustainable teaching and learning. It examines its influence on learning processes, instructional practices, and educational continuity. Adopting a qualitative research design, the study draws on focus group discussions to capture teachers’ perspectives and applies thematic analysis to explore shared experiences of AI integration in classroom settings. The analysis identified six interconnected themes reflecting a move toward more open and generative learning, the sustainability of learning activities through diversity and personalization, support for teachers in planning, implementation, and assessment, the empowerment of students’ understanding, thinking, achievement, and learning continuity, the central role of ethical considerations, and the challenges and requirements associated with sustainable implementation. The findings demonstrate that the educational value of GenAI is shaped by how it is meaningfully integrated to sustain teaching and learning practices over time. GenAI can contribute to quality and inclusive education in ways that support the long-term aims of Sustainable Development Goal 4.

This article scrutinises the linkage between ethnicity and people’s behaviour on Twitter. It examines how offline culture manifests itself online among Arabs. The article draws upon the literature to identify the offline ethnic characteristics of Arabs, and through interviews with and observations of Arab social media users, discovers their online ethnic characteristics. It then compares these online and offline characteristics and, through this comparison, finds that offline culture has been enacted online among Arabs, sustaining expressions of generosity, religiosity, traditionalism, female privacy, over-flattery, collectivism, tribalism, pan-Arabism, and social contracts; however, in other ways, offline culture has been counteracted online, which has led to the destabilisation of power relations between genders, elites and non-elites, and majorities and minorities. A further finding is that online culture has been enacted offline among Arabs in that online performance has exerted influence over offline ethnic identity expectations. In short, there are three main findings: offline culture has been enacted online, offline culture has been counteracted online, and online culture has been enacted offline. The take-home finding of this study is the existence of ‘e-ethnic culture’, that is, although ethnic activity online tends to be based on and reinforces offline realities and may alter offline realities as well, not all online performances have roots offline.

Integrative learning in early childhood is more than a teaching strategy; it is a philosophy that reflects how young children naturally view the world as a whole. Early childhood offers fertile ground for merging concepts of science, mathematics, and other domains through play, exploration, and discovery. Within this context, the present study explores the potential of the integrative learning approach in kindergarten from the perspective of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The study aimed to examine the requirements for activating integrative learning practices in early childhood education and the challenges that hinder their implementation, with the purpose of proposing a framework that responds to teachers’ realities. A descriptive-analytical design was employed, using two structured questionnaires: the first explored challenges related to teachers, curricula, and classroom environments, while the second focused on requirements such as professional development, curriculum support, and classroom resources. Data were collected electronically from 270 kindergarten teachers across five Saudi cities and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings highlighted a complex landscape: while teachers recognized the promise of integrative STEM learning in fostering creativity, curiosity, and holistic development, they also pointed to gaps in training, rigid curricula, and limited resources. At the same time, they emphasized the need for professional development, flexible curricula, and supportive environments. Based on these insights, the study proposed a framework grounded in STEM principles that includes five interconnected elements: teacher preparation, curriculum design, classroom resources, integration philosophy, and monitoring and sustainability. The study recommends improving teacher preparation through ongoing professional development, promoting flexible curricula that support integrated STEM learning, and ensuring the availability of essential classroom resources. It also emphasizes continued collaboration among educators, curriculum developers, and policymakers to bring the proposed framework to life in creative and sustainable ways.

The professional identity of language educators has been significantly influenced by the integration of generative AI tools in teaching writing skills and processes. These tools have, to some extent, assumed roles traditionally held by teachers. This study explores the paradox of adoption and resistance among language educators regarding the use of generative AI in writing instruction. Adopting a quantitative, descriptive-analytical approach, the study utilized a tripartite rubric (adoption, neutrality, resistance) to examine teachers’ attitudes across four AI-mediated writing stages: pre-writing, drafting/ initial writing, revising/editing, and publishing/feedback reception. In order to explore language educators' alignment with the dynamics of adoption, neutrality, and resistance, a total of 340 Arabic and English language teachers from secondary schools in Saudi Arabia participated in the study. Findings indicate that language educators demonstrated a neutral stance toward AI integration in the pre-writing and publishing/feedback reception stages, where AI serves as a supportive rather than a generative tool. This suggests that educators perceive AI as a facilitator in organizing ideas and refining final drafts without undermining their instructional role. Conversely, strong resistance emerged in the drafting/ initial writing and revising/editing stages, where AI directly engages in text production and modification. This reflects educators' concerns about diminished student engagement in writing development and the potential erosion of their professional role. Additionally, these findings reveal teachers’ concerns about how AI might alter their role in teaching writing and their doubts about students’ ability to use these tools responsibly. While adoption was present across all writing stages, it remained marginal, consistently overshadowed by neutrality or resistance. This suggests that, despite some recognition of AI’s potential, most educators remain hesitant to fully embrace it.

The advent of social media has transformed how female adolescents perceive and present themselves, leading many to engage in excessive editing of their selfies. This practice is often seen as a means to boost their mental well-being by enhancing their self-image. However, this reliance on edited images may create a false sense of sustainability regarding their mental health. This study aims to explore the relationship between excessive selfie editing on social media and appearance-related anxiety in female adolescents. Employing a quantitative descriptive correlational design, the research involved 150 high school students, selected through a snowball sampling method, to examine the connection between their photo editing behaviors and psychological outcomes. Two validated instruments were utilized for data collection: the Selfie Editing Behavior Scale and the Appearance Anxiety Scale. Results indicated a significant positive correlation between the frequency of selfie editing and the levels of appearance anxiety experienced by the participants. These findings suggest that while adolescents may seek satisfaction through image enhancement, such practices can exacerbate insecurities and adversely affect their mental health over time.