Laura Poy Solano
La Jornada Newspaper
Sunday, January 4, 2026, p. 17
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) warns that, in the coming years, 60 percent of global jobs could be affected by artificial intelligence (AI); However, 58 percent of those pursuing university studies do not feel prepared for this new work reality, and almost half do not have confidence in their abilities to work with this new technology.
A study on the impact of AI in higher education urges member states to generate regulatory frameworks to generate new skills in their students, but also to establish ethical frameworks for its use.
In the working document The challenges of AI in higher education and institutional responses: Is there a place for competency frameworks?the United Nations agency reveals that only 22 percent of teachers use such technology tools. “This low adoption rate is attributed to concerns about academic integrity, the possibility of plagiarism, and fear of being replaced by AI,” the report states.
In the document, prepared by specialists Arianna Valentini and Alep Blancas, it highlights that although many universities have launched initiatives on artificial intelligence and higher education, “these responses are usually ad hoc and they lack a cohesive strategy.”
Most of these initiatives, the report adds, focus on developing guidelines for the use of generative AI, such as ChatGPT, rather than creating a core competency framework for the entire institution.
“This piecemeal approach does not provide students and faculty with the systematic development of the skills necessary to function effectively in an AI-enabled world.”
For this reason, a change is proposed towards a “pedagogy based on artificial intelligence”, which allows taking advantage of this technological tool, not only to improve efficiency, but also to promote higher-order thinking skills, collaborative learning and interdisciplinary problem solving.
The report also identifies a “critical gap”: the lack of a standardized and comprehensive AI competency framework specific to higher education, addressing teaching and research tasks that enable the development of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values in the use of artificial intelligence.
