In recent years, the emergence and development of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools, such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, have brought significant transformation to the academic environment. A comprehensive review of recent literature, based on hundreds of research studies, shows that interest in the role of AI in education and research has grown exponentially since 2022, following the popularization of these systems (Ogunleye et al., 2024). The analyzed studies provide a clear picture of the opportunities, challenges, and implications that AI introduces to teaching and learning. The following text presents the results of this academic literature review, highlighting practical insights for educators.
1. Implications of AI: Between Opportunity and Responsibility
Numerous studies have investigated the accuracy of AI-generated content, particularly in academic essay writing and fields such as health and computing. At the same time, research has examined how AI use affects students’ critical thinking and their understanding of the social and ethical dimensions of technology.
For teachers, the key takeaway is that integrating AI into education must be accompanied by the development of digital and AI literacy. Students should not merely use AI tools; they should learn to evaluate them critically and ethically. Exercises that involve analyzing and comparing AI-generated texts can be a valuable way to foster critical thinking.
2. AI in Education and Research: A Framework for Conscious Integration
A significant portion of the literature focused on how AI can be applied in higher education, particularly in medical and scientific fields. Some studies have even proposed “AI ecological” educational policies to integrate technology into universities in a balanced manner.
For educators, the question is not whether to use AI, but how to use it responsibly. AI can provide personalized feedback, generate ideas and activities, and support research. Successful integration depends on clear ethical principles and pedagogical reflection on the human role in learning.
3. AI as an Educational Support System
Many studies demonstrate that GenAI can serve as a support system for teaching activities, generating exercises and tests, providing administrative support, and answering student queries automatically.
For teachers, these tools can serve as digital assistants, reducing repetitive tasks and freeing time for mentoring and deep learning activities. AI can prepare materials or evaluate standardized responses, but interpretation, guidance, and encouragement of reflection remain exclusively the educator’s responsibility.
4. Bias, Inclusion, and Digital Equity
Research highlights the risk of algorithmic bias, which can reproduce gender, cultural, or linguistic stereotypes. At the same time, studies examined teachers’ and students’ perceptions of equity and accessibility with regard to these tools.
From a pedagogical perspective, bias can be turned into a learning opportunity. Teachers can use AI as a starting point for discussions on equity, diversity, and digital ethics. Comparative activities—for example, analyzing AI responses to the same question from different cultural perspectives—can promote critical awareness and digital empathy.
5. AI as an Intelligent Tutor
A significant theme in the research is AI’s role as an intelligent tutoring system. GenAI can support personalized learning by providing immediate feedback and interactive simulations, particularly in applied fields.
For educators, AI is not a replacement for the teacher but a partner in augmented learning. Teachers design the learning experience, guide interpretation of AI-generated responses, and help students use these responses for reflection and deeper understanding, rather than merely obtaining quick answers.
6. Other Relevant Directions in AI for Education
Recent studies identify several areas where AI can influence academic work and student assessment. Machine Learning and Deep Learning are increasingly used to evaluate and predict academic performance. Teachers need a basic understanding of how AI models work and what they can or cannot accurately predict. In evaluating AI performance in exams—particularly in medical education—studies compare AI-generated answers with human responses. These insights help teachers recognize AI’s limitations and integrate it critically into student assessment.
AI can also support academic writing by helping structure texts, providing formative feedback, and facilitating the writing process, though it should not replace students’ creative and reflective work. Ethical and regulatory considerations, including privacy, plagiarism, and academic integrity, underscore the need for clear institutional policies and teacher training to support responsible AI integration.
Integrating AI in education should not be seen as simple automation, but as an opportunity to transform teaching and learning. Educators and institutions need to develop clear AI usage policies grounded in ethics, transparency, and inclusion to ensure a safe and responsible learning environment.
Introducing AI literacy modules into curricula—such as “Introduction to Generative AI” or “Ethics of Intelligent Technologies”—enables students to gain not only digital competencies but also the ability to reflect critically on AI outputs and their social and ethical impacts. Teachers can use AI as a tool for reflection and discussion, fostering debate, critical feedback, and analytical thinking rather than merely focusing on content production.
It is also vital for educators to continuously assess the bias and accuracy of AI tools, collaborate interdisciplinarily with computer scientists, pedagogues, and ethicists, and create safe testing spaces, such as AI labs or workshops, where experimentation can occur without risk. In this way, AI becomes a pedagogical partner, not a substitute, and teachers strengthen their ability to guide the learning process.
Ultimately, teachers remain at the center of education, but their role is redefined: they become facilitators of critical thinking, ethical reflection, and responsible technology use. The education of the future will combine digital and AI literacy, pedagogical judgment, ethical responsibility, and human creativity, preparing students to use technology with discernment and intellectual integrity.
Reference
Ogunleye, B., Zakariyyah, K. I., Ajao, O., Olayinka, O., & Sharma, H. (2024). A systematic review of generative AI for teaching and learning practice. Education Sciences, 14(6), 636.
