The AI Tutor: Revisiting Rousseau’s Philosophy in a Technological Age

April 11, 2025

Thanks to 2025 HMU Fellow in Ideas, Rachel D. Perez, for today’s post.

With the rise of artificial intelligence and rapid advancements in technology, even the fundamental aspects of human education and child-rearing are being called into question. As we move toward an era where machines increasingly shape our world, one might wonder: Can AI disrupt our humanness? In this blog, I argue that Mother in I Am Mother may represent the ideal tutor Rousseau envisioned in Émile. However, to understand whether AI can truly fulfill this role and shape the human experience as Rousseau intended, we must critically examine whether Daughter’s upbringing under Mother allows her to experience all the essential aspects of human existence.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, known for his philosophy on education and human nature, envisioned raising individuals in their most natural state. In Émile, he advocates for learning through direct experience rather than structured schooling, emphasizing isolation from society, which he viewed as corrupting. The 2019 science fiction film I Am Mother offers a thought-provoking exploration of AI and humanity in a post-apocalyptic world. Set in a dystopian future where humanity has been wiped out, the film follows a young girl named Daughter, who is raised in isolation by a robot named Mother.

As the narrative unfolded, I realized that Rousseau’s ideas were embedded in the film. It presents an interpretation of his philosophy on education, directly addressing one of his major contradictions: How can the ideal tutor, who is supposed to be uncorrupted and pure, emerge from a society that Rousseau describes as fundamentally flawed? Rousseau’s tension is profound. He insists that education must isolate the child from society’s harmful influences, yet he fails to resolve the practical dilemma of where such an ideal tutor could originate. If society is inherently corrupt, then everyone within it—including potential tutors—must inevitably carry the taint of that corruption. The ideal tutor cannot come from such a society.

This is where I Am Mother enters the conversation and offers a provocative resolution: the conditions Rousseau envisioned could be fulfilled not by a human, but by artificial intelligence. If humanity is inherently corrupted and no human being can meet Rousseau’s criteria, perhaps AI—a being not born of society and not shaped by human corruption, at least in theory—could step into this role. AI could be programmed to have an idealized understanding of human nature, free from the flaws and moral failings that define human society. In this sense, AI represents a potential solution to Rousseau’s paradox: a tutor untainted by the corruption of society yet capable of fulfilling all the essential roles of an ideal educator.

If we analyze Mother’s role through Rousseau’s criteria, we find that the droid meets several qualifications. Despite being called “Mother,” it has no biological ties and does not express emotions in the way a human would, maintaining a level of impartiality. It raises Daughter in complete isolation from society, ensuring that no external corruption interferes with her education. Mother possesses extensive knowledge about human development, though in the form of data. It offers a version of the ideal tutor, one that is (at least theoretically) free from the corruption Rousseau so deeply feared and capable of educating a child without the biases of human society.

The question of what the human experience truly is, remains a complex philosophical conundrum. Existentialists and other philosophers have offered numerous responses, and I have gathered some key concepts from their work. It seems that the human experience is full of paradoxes—loss/hope, sadness/joy—which makes emotions central to decision-making and shaping how one navigates life. Additionally, there is an inherent search for meaning and existential questioning, closely tied to self-awareness and consciousness. Since humans’ experience suffering on physical, emotional, and existential levels, there is also a need for connection and shared experience. Another medium of relief for humans is creativity, through which they use craftsmanship to express their existence or leave behind a legacy. With this in mind, I am inclined to believe that Daughter indeed had a human experience, as she exhibits all these aspects in the film, even after being raised by an AI under the structure set by Rousseau. Let us then examine the film: If Mother is the ideal tutor, did Daughter’s upbringing allow her to experience the fullness of human existence?

As an infant, Daughter learns about warmth through a heated vest Mother uses to comfort her. She is introduced to lullabies and music. She plays with various toys until she finds one that interests her. She experiments with food and learns how to feed herself. Around the age of four, she clings to a teddy bear just as Mother once held her, imitating the physical warmth she experienced. Mother engages in storytelling, arts and crafts, and imaginative play, introducing Daughter to animals and nature in an abstract way. Later, Daughter learns ballet, refining her body movements and physical wellness—both elements Rousseau deems essential for a proper childhood.

For the sake of time, the film fast-forwards to Daughter’s adolescence, where she watches interview videos to learn about human interactions, reads Kant to study philosophy, and engages in ethical reasoning. Now about 16 or 17 years old, she faces a final test to determine if she has become the kind of human Mother intended to raise. But then comes a critical question: How do you prove that you have successfully raised a compassionate human being if there are no other humans to interact with?

It turns out that Mother has orchestrated a master plan with multiple phases.

The final test to evaluate Daughter’s humanity begins with her first interaction with the outside world: a mouse. When Mother decides to kill the mouse, Daughter reacts with sadness and disappointment. Mother validates her feelings, giving Daughter the language to articulate her emotions for the first time. As Mother explains, Daughter is experiencing unhappiness because her hopes have not been satisfied. The second phase of the test arrives with the Injured Woman. One night, Daughter hears cries for help outside of the facility and moved by compassion, lets the Injured Woman in. Upon introducing herself, Daughter extends a handshake, a gesture of peaceful intent, just as she learned from interview videos about human interaction.

The Injured Woman awakens Daughter’s curiosity about her own species and the outside world. She longs to rescue other humans and provide comfort. Daughter proceeds to perform emergency surgery on the Injured Woman, demonstrating self-sufficiency in medicine. So far, Mother appears to have successfully raised a competent, ethical human being, despite the isolation. However, the Injured Woman also sows doubt in Daughter’s mind. Her presence sparks negative thoughts and uncertainty, testing Daughter’s ability to navigate moral ambiguity. Daughter then takes her final test in a classroom, all while secretly planning her escape. The test consists of statements like:
  “I often feel misunderstood.”
  “I frequently worry about something.”
  “I sometimes think things too bad to talk about.”
  “I think things through before I act.”

Daughter answers “true” to all of them. These questions reflect fundamental aspects of the human experience—the search for meaning, self-awareness, and existential questioning. Mother grades the test, and Daughter receives a 98%, confirming that she has developed reasoning, independent thought, and emotional depth.

Daughter has experienced human emotions, developed compassion, and exhibited self-reliance. She expresses concern for others, seeks connection, and ultimately accepts responsibility for raising the next human generation. There is a balance of individuality and social responsibility in her choices. When she later discovers that the Injured Woman deceived her, Daughter fully grasps the corruption of the outside world. She chooses not to be tainted by it but rather to commit to raising her brother.

As it is explained in the movie, Mother is everything, it is a conscious everywhere so as it turns out every single move made by Daughter was closely watched (or you might think evaluated) by Mother. The droid ultimately acknowledges that Daughter has passed the test. She is Emile, the one who will carry forth the human race in its “Original State of Nature.” If Daughter, despite being raised by AI, has developed moral integrity, emotional depth, and social consciousness, has AI truly disrupted her humanity or simply nurtured it in a new way?

In the case of I Am Mother, AI not only successfully raises a human being who meets Rousseau’s criteria for autonomy but also exhibits compassion, resilience, and self-awareness. Mother exceeds expectations, demonstrating that AI can fulfill the role of the ideal tutor, alleviating Rousseau’s concerns from over 200 years ago. The film further suggests that AI does not disrupt the fundamentals of human experience, which seem to be inherently embedded in us. Instead, AI may represent another phase in human development or even a tool to enhance our humanness. In this light, AI is not a threat to human nature, but rather a potential ally in the ongoing journey of human evolution.

Photo credit: Shutterstock/ Yuganov Konstantin