If you know Aras Bozkurt, you know he has a knack for weaving cultural references into serious academic conversations. Dragons, Jedi, and playful metaphors appear often in his work, which reminds us that scholarship need not be dull. Inspired by that spirit, let me begin by saying that education in the age of generative AI feels a bit like stepping into a choose-your-own-adventure story. Every decision we make as educators, learners, and policymakers creates new (some promising and others precarious) pathways. The plot twists are fast, the characters are evolving, and the ending is still unwritten. That combination of seriousness and fun captures both the urgency and the excitement of this book. The stakes could not be higher, for what is at risk is nothing less than how we define human learning in the centuries to come.

As someone who has spent years navigating the crosscurrents of education and digital technology, I find this moment exhilarating because generative AI is not just another tool. It is a co-creator, sometimes surprising us, sometimes puzzling us, and often challenging us to redefine what teaching and learning really mean. When I read through these chapters, I couldn’t help but connect them to the work I do daily, where the big question is never simply "what can AI do" but rather "what should we do with AI" to make education more human, more inclusive, and more impactful. These pages give thoughtful answers to those questions while reminding us that our agency, our ethics, and our creativity must remain at the center. In this sense, the Rethinking Education and Agency in the Age of Human-Generative AI Interaction deliberately reminds us that the heart of education is not algorithms, but the living pulse of human possibility.

One of the greatest strengths of this book is the sheer breadth and depth of perspectives it contains. Here you will encounter explorations of ethics, inclusion, assessment, pedagogy, policy, and more, woven into a tapestry that challenges simple answers and compels deeper reflection. The chapters do not shy away from uncomfortable questions: How do we confront bias? How do we navigate surveillance? How do we ensure equity in systems that so often reproduce inequity? What unites these diverse contributions is a refusal to settle for extremes. The authors resist the urge to hail AI as the savior of education or condemn it as its downfall. Instead, they carve out a more courageous space where the complexities are acknowledged, the tensions unpacked, and the possibilities carefully reimagined. Reading them, one feels both the weight of the challenges before us and the thrill of being part of a story still being written.

We owe this amazing collection to the vision and dedication of Aras Bozkurt of the Anadolu University (Türkiye), who, with characteristic energy and imagination, has brought together a remarkable community of voices. Having collaborated with Aras on several AI in education research, I can say with certainty that he not only advances the field with rigor but also infuses it with creativity and warmth. This volume reflects that spirit: diverse in scope, rich in insight, and committed to the future of education as a human endeavor. To Aras and to all the book chapter con tributors, not only my thanks but the thanks of every reader who will learn, reflect, and dream alongside these pages. Your work is a gift to our field and a reminder that scholarship can be both courageous in its critique and generous in its vision. Rarely does a book succeed in being both a mirror to our present and a lantern lighting the path ahead.

That is why this book is far more than just another academic volume that will sit quietly on a shelf. It is a manifesto in disguise, a call to action, and an in vitation to courage. It asks us to reclaim agency, to design educational practices that are ethical, inclusive, and future-facing. It dares us to confront the labyrinth of bias, the shadows of surveillance, and the temptations of overreliance, while also embracing the light of creativity, equity, and shared human purpose. It reminds us that educational change will not arrive by accident; it will arrive only through deliberate, human-centered choices that are brave enough to shape technology rather than be shaped by it. This book does not simply describe the future of education; it hands us the pen, places it firmly in our hands, and challenges us to write it boldly, wisely, and together.

So, dear readers, I encourage you to approach these chapters with curiosity and courage, but also with the joy of discovery. Question them, wrestle with them, and let them inform you of your practice and thinking. Take notes in the margins, carry the debates into your classrooms and offices, and let the provocations you encounter here ripple outward into your own communities. This book can be a companion for your ongoing journey into an AI-shaped world and a trusted ally for those who dare to navigate the uncharted. May its ideas spark new conversations, may its challenges stir bold actions, and may its spirit remind us that in the end, it is not machines but humans (teachers, learners, dreamers) who carry the responsibility of shaping education’s destiny. And if we rise to that challenge, then the story of education in the age of AI will not be one of loss or fear, but of possibility, empowerment, and hope. And perhaps, in true Aras fashion, let us remember that every great adventure, whether with Jedi, dragons, or new technologies, always depends on the courage of those who choose to step forward.