ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY: MEDIATIONS, POTENTIALS, AND FORMATIVE CHALLENGES

Abstract

Artificial intelligence has become one of the main technological mediations shaping learning processes in the 21st century, influencing how information is accessed, knowledge is constructed, meanings are produced, and learners interact with knowledge. Rather than a merely instrumental innovation, AI operates as a cognitive, discursive, and pedagogical infrastructure that reorganizes educational practices and demands a critical reassessment of the foundations of contemporary schooling. This theoretical article, grounded in a narrative literature review, discusses how artificial intelligence can support students’ learning processes while also examining the formative potentials and ethical, pedagogical, and cognitive challenges arising from its integration into education. The theoretical framework draws on contributions from Vygotsky, Freire, Rojo, Lankshear and Knobel, Holmes and Tuomi, Selwyn, Noble, and Benjamin, as well as international guidelines on AI and education. It is argued that AI may foster personalization, cognitive mediation, repertoire expansion, and learner autonomy when embedded in intentional, critical, and human-centered pedagogical practices. The article concludes that AI-mediated learning requires strong teacher mediation, critical digital literacy, and a commitment to holistic education to avoid reinforcing inequalities and oversimplifying the educational process.