AI in Leadership Development: Renegotiating the Social Contract Through Collective Student Agency.

Abstract

This case study investigates "The Worldbuilding Project," a collaborative initiative between two diverse San Diego high schools that offers a model for AI leadership development grounded in critical pedagogy. Utilizing a six-step worldbuilding methodology, students prototyped socio-technical futures and authored a collective social contract to reclaim human agency over automated cognition. Findings suggest this cross-institutional partnership fosters a "Post-Digital Leadership" paradigm, prioritizing civic responsibility over technical proficiency. By centering student voices, this study provides a blueprint for educational institutions to transition from reactive prohibition toward humanizing, future-oriented digital governance.