Unleashing the Potential of Generative AI, Conversational Agents and Chatbots in Educational Praxis: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis of GenAI in Education

In the rapidly evolving landscape of education, the pivotal axis around which transformation revolves is human-AI interaction. In this sense, this paper adopts a data mining and analytic approach to understand what the related literature tells us regarding the trends and patterns of generative AI research in educational praxis. Accordingly, this systematic exploration spotlights the following research themes: Interaction and communication with generative AI-powered chatbots; impact of the LLMs and generative AI on teaching and learning, conversational educational agents and their opportunities, challenges, and implications; leveraging Generative AI for enhancing social and cognitive learning processes; promoting AI literacy for unleashing future opportunities; harnessing Generative AI to expand academic capabilities, and lastly, augmenting educational experiences through human-AI interaction. Beyond the identified research themes and patterns, this paper argues that emotional intelligence, AI literacy, and prompt engineering are the trending research topics that require further exploration. Accordingly, it's in this praxis that emotional intelligence emerges as a pivotal attribute, as AI systems' ability to discern and respond to nuanced emotional cues plays a substantial role in the efficacy of educational interactions. Generative AI literacy then takes center stage, becoming an indispensable asset in an era permeated with AI technologies, equipping students with the tools to critically engage with AI systems, thereby ensuring they become active, discerning users of these powerful tools. Concurrently, prompt engineering, the art of crafting queries that yield precise and valuable responses from AI systems, empowers both educators and students to maximize the utility of AI-driven educational resources.