Artificial Intelligence and the Role of Instructors and Teachers

A revolution is coming. There will be casualties, heroes, and losers. It is not a question of judging whether it is good or bad “per se,” but rather of deciding how to take advantage of this moment or, on the contrary, to distance oneself from the general trend, with better or worse fortune. Those who isolate themselves, such as the famous Amish in the US, end up living on the margins of society. For those whose mission is to transform the world, stepping away means losing the opportunity to influence it.

So, what will be the role of teachers and instructors in the not-too-distant future? Artificial intelligence is already replacing books, notes, and answers to student questions. In fact, this is already happening. Young people, in particular, have begun to use it at a rapid pace. Consulting websites or Wikipedia is being replaced by direct interaction with AI-powered devices.

The big challenge is how to adapt the role of the teacher in this new context. What will their role consist of now? It is no longer enough to read notes in class or compile multiple sources (books, articles, summaries, etc.); AI does that faster, more comprehensively, and often more effectively.

Perhaps the new role of the educator will be to propose a central idea or a particular point of view—even if it goes against the mainstream—and to support it with two fundamental elements:

• The teacher's personal judgment

• A Socratic attitude in class, inviting students to reflect and participate

In addition:

• Teaching how to think, rather than transmitting content

• Strengthening character, rather than encouraging the accumulation of data

• Relying on AI as an informational tool, without forgetting that education and the human touch remain irreplaceable

How, then, should a teacher respond when what they say is almost immediately verified by their students through AI?

These were my concerns, which I shared with various artificial intelligences (ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Bing, Gemini, etc.). Below, I summarize the responses I received:

AI in Education: The End of Teaching or Reinvention?

The advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) in education will undoubtedly transform the role of teachers. However, it will not make them obsolete, but rather redefine their role towards a more strategic, human, and essential one. Here are some key points of this transformation:

1. From transmitter of information to critical guide and contextualizer

• AI offers immediate data and answers, but teachers:

    ◦ Teach students to think, not just memorize

    ◦ Contextualize knowledge: linking it to ethics, history, or everyday reality

    ◦ Filter and question the information generated by AI, detecting biases or errors

2. Facilitator of personalized learning

        • AI adapts content to individual pace, but the teacher:

            ◦ Identifies their students' motivations and talents

            ◦ Designs unique experiences (projects, debates, research)

            ◦ Acts as an emotional mentor, vital for motivation and personal development

3. Expert in teaching how to learn

• In a world where knowledge is constantly changing, teachers:

◦ Encourage metacognition (thinking about one's own learning)

◦ Develop curiosity, critical thinking, and intellectual autonomy

4. Designer of educational experiences

        • While AI automates repetitive tasks, teachers:

            ◦ Design collaborative and interdisciplinary projects

            ◦ Use AI as an assistant to enrich learning

            ◦ Teach soft skills: leadership, empathy, communication, creativity

5. Example of an “augmented human”

        • The best teacher of the future will be one who integrates AI into their practice but stands out for:

            ◦ Their unique point of view

            ◦ Their ability to inspire and connect emotionally

            ◦ Their ethics and human discernment, especially in ambiguous contexts

How to define this new role?

We could describe it as that of a “Learning Architect”: not someone who delivers packaged knowledge, but someone who:

1. Asks powerful questions

2. Uses AI as a tool to explore answers

3. Connects learning to real life and the student's passions

Conclusion

AI will automate the mechanical aspects, but the value of educators will lie in the human aspects: inspiring, guiding, contextualizing, and exciting. Their new role will be more profound and less repetitive, focused on training critical thinkers and people of integrity, not simply recipients of information.

***

The above is a summary of what AIs have answered, and this is my final reflection:

Faced with this reality, we have two options: demonize modern tools—such as videos, presentations, platforms, and other complementary resources—or understand that the medium is not the problem. True transformation must come from the teacher: a Socratic teacher of the 21st century, not from ancient Greece, but one deeply committed to awakening the soul through critical thinking, mental clarity, and active participation in the art of learning to be better. A great teacher commented that one cannot harbor divine intuitions unless one has good mental structures to accommodate them. What do you think?