• Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a reality that can be used to improve the quality of education, promote inclusive education, prevent dropouts, and make teachers’ jobs easier.
• Education authorities must prepare timely policies to ride the wave of change and ensure equal access to this new technology.
• The costs of inaction will increase the educational lag and digital divide, and the development of human resources for children and youth will be at stake.

That Artificial intelligence (AI) is technology that is capable of solving problems and learning without the need for human intervention. Although AI and its educational uses are still in their infancy, according to Bill Gates, In the next five to ten years, AI will change the way people teach and learn around the world..

Within this framework, and with the aim of calling on education authorities the importance of this trend and the need to get AI on their agenda, The Mexican Institute of Competitiveness (IMCO) investigates the areas of application of AI in education and its benefits. In addition, the requirements that Mexico must guarantee for the fair use of AI in education are analyzed.

Based on the analysis, IMCO concluded so It is very urgent to be traced by the Ministry of Public Education (SEP). track and design timely policies so that Mexico can leverage AI in education. A comprehensive strategy devised by experts in the field should consider training for teachers and school administrators, as well as an infrastructure plan to produce minimum conditions of connectivity and access to electronic devices in all schools. Only then will their access be equitable and can it translate into a more inclusive education that equips students with the technological skills needed by future jobs.

Educational artificial intelligence (IAEd) can be applied in three levels: students, teachers and systems alike. Each of these levels contains AI designs that promise to be useful for informing education policy, facilitating teachers’ work, and supporting each student’s special needs for inclusive education.

• Oriented to the National Education System (SEN). Facing challenges such as dropouts and lost learning, countries such as the UK are using AI to achieve better education administration through tools such as automated timetable management and development or chatbots which provides assistance to the education community through automated messages.
• Teacher focused. Implementation of IAEd can lighten teachers’ workload and allow them to use their time to provide more personalized education that is tailored to the individual needs of students. However, it will only be effective if adequate support and training is provided so that it can be used successfully.
• Addressed to students. IAEd has the potential to create more sophisticated and personalized educational spaces that address the needs and interests of each student. These application areas can be used to create more inclusive and specialized educational spaces.

Constraints to use

Despite its benefits, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) pointed out the limitations of implementing AI in Latin American classrooms. Of these, two are of particular relevance to Mexico: equitable access to AI tools and teacher training.

level floor

For AI to benefit both students and teachers, it needs schools with connectivity and access to technology. However, although seven out of 10 urban households have internet access, only four out of 10 rural households have internet access. connectivity. In addition, in several Mexican states, the coverage of computers available for educational purposes is low.. This type of inequality conditions educational and labor performance, since use of technology in the classroom is associated with a complete and better educational trajectory learning.

This inequality is more pronounced between regions of the country. The southern states remain at a disadvantage in dealing with AI compared to the northern states. This prevents the equitable use of new technologies and can increase existing problems in the education system in states such as Chiapas and Oaxaca, where one in 10 schools has an Internet connection and three in 10 have a computer.

teacher training

In addition to physical spaces adapted to the use of technology, schools with adequate connectivity and equipment to serve students, It is important for teachers to develop digital skills. However, there are currently no evaluations measuring teachers’ technological capabilities or adequate training to develop them. This lack was exposed during the pandemic and, within the framework of the educational transformation that IAEd requires, it needs to be addressed as a priority.

The move to include AI in the classroom must involve teacher training. Teacher digital training is so important that it should be incorporated into regular school curricula and integrated as part of the continuing education they receive in their teaching careers. In order for educational artificial intelligence to be put to use, and so that Mexico is not too late for the educational transformation that the world is experiencing, IMCO Proposes:

1. Devise a comprehensive strategy, together with international experts and organizations, to adequately incorporate AI in education with timely policies. The guiding strategy will be the starting point for implementing educational AI focused on education systems, enriching education policies, and creating strategies that enable universal implementation in the classroom. The implementation of AI in education will not be carried out in all schools until the minimum conditions of connectivity and access to technology are guaranteed.
2. Include AI in new educational models for teachers and students. AI offers teaching tools to facilitate and enhance teaching. Likewise, it is necessary for students to become familiar with new technologies. However, new AI-related technologies are not considered in the new study plan.
3. Train teachers in the knowledge and use of AI applications. IAEd tools will be increasingly used around the world as teaching tools. Access to international good practice is key to improving the quality of education. Training programs need to be developed to equip teachers with the necessary skills to know and use IAEd effectively in the classroom.
4. Invest in connectivity in the classroom and guarantee basic needs. For AI to be usable in the classroom and benefit students and teachers in their educational work, a solid internet infrastructure is needed in classrooms at all levels of education, especially those with a low percentage of connectivity. Only by ensuring connectivity will the likelihood of equitable access to student- and teacher-focused IAEd applications increase.