AI and the Transformation of Teaching Functions: Teachers’ Perceptions

Abstract

The rapid spread of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is significantly transforming educational contexts, redefining teaching practices, learning modalities, and the teaching profession. In increasingly complex digital ecosystems, generative AI tools act as mediators of access to information, content production, and the organization of educational processes, prompting critical reflection not only on their technical functioning but, above all, on their epistemological, cognitive, and pedagogical impact. Alongside the opportunities offered by AI, several critical issues emerge, including the risk of cultural homogenization, the weakening of critical thinking, and the possible attenuation of the educational relationship. This study aims to explore teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and practices regarding AI, with particular attention to perceived transformations in their professional identity and in students’ learning modalities. The research adopts an exploratory and descriptive cross-sectional mixed-methods design of a convergent type (concurrent triangulation design), integrating quantitative and qualitative data collected through two anonymous semi-structured questionnaires administered to a sample of 88 teachers enrolled in the Specialization Course for Teaching Support Activities at Suor Orsola Benincasa University during the 2024–2025 academic year. The results, analyzed through descriptive statistics and thematic analysis, aim to contribute to the identification of emerging training needs and to outline possible directions for the development of a critical pedagogy of AI, capable of integrating technological innovation while safeguarding the centrality of the educational relationship and human experience.