For the Pan American University, digital transformation demands an educational model that balances technological innovation with human values and sustainability.
Artificial intelligence (AI) currently redefines the way companies operate, as well as the way people interact between us and our environment. But there is no doubt that there is a factor directly related to the present and the future of technological impact on human life and that is education.
The ability to adapt universities and teaching centers will not only determine their relevance in a world promoted by technology, but will also be key to preparing tomorrow’s professionals with an ethical and sustainable vision of digital development.
According to Santiago García Álvarez, rector of the Pan American University, one of the most important educational centers in Mexico, in the following years technological education will live many significant changes, all of them of great impact on how to face the future globally.
“Many things have been raised around education: if some careers will disappear in the future or if new ones will be created. There will definitely be changes, but we see this relationship with technology as a knowledge facilitator and a catalyst of thought,” he explained.
For his part, Juan Carlos García Sánchez, director of Digital Transformation at the Pan American University, explains that the greatest challenge is not in the adoption of AI, but in its responsible integration within learning. “Education cannot be limited to teaching the use of new technological tools; its mission is to form individuals with critical thinking, capable of making informed decisions and with solid ethical principles in a digitalized environment,” explains García Sánchez.
The impact of new technologies
This means that the role of AI in education goes beyond the automation of tasks or the personalization of learning. It also represents a change in traditional dynamics between students and teachers, promoting more collaborative, flexible and adaptive models. In this context, training should not only focus on technical skills, but also in human competences that technology cannot replicate, such as creativity, empathy and ethical judgment.
Santiago García Álvarez, rector of the Pan American University, emphasizes that the role of academic institutions is essential to guide this transition. “Universities have the responsibility to ensure that technology is a complement to human development, not a substitute. Our commitment is to form leaders who not only dominate innovation, but also use it for the common good,” says García Álvarez.
The possibility of a sustainable future
Another critical aspect in the relationship between education and AI is sustainability. The digitalization of academic processes and content automation generate benefits in terms of efficiency and accessibility, but also raise questions about their environmental and social impact. From the Pan American University, it is committed to a balanced approach in which technology is implemented with ecological responsibility and with a long -term vision.
“The technological advance must go hand in hand with sustainability and inclusion. We cannot talk about digital transformation without considering the impact it has on educational equity and access to training opportunities for all,” says Juan Carlos García Sánchez. This approach is crucial to avoid digital gaps that could marginalize certain sectors of society and limit access to knowledge.
As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, universities face the challenge of staying at the forefront without losing sight of their essential mission: educating people with criteria, values and an integral vision of the world. In this scenario, the key is not only to adopt technology, but to do it with responsibility, ethics and a firm commitment to human development and sustainability.
Currently, the Pan American University is an example of how educational institutions strategically advance with infrastructure and responsibility to these challenges. Within the Technology Center Up, an expanded and newly remodeled technology center, the institution integrates spaces that favor a dynamic dialogue with the experience of students and their immersion in the technological world.
Today we can see from assistance robots developed by investigators of the institution, to more complex immersion projects, augmented reality, humanoid robots, all this designed in the relationship that future human being will have with machines and other technologies.
“Technology is a topic in full development, which has lived an acceleration thanks to elements such as the generative AI, but that it still has a lot of field to develop and we seek that our students are there, experimenting and making responsible decisions while all this happens,” concludes Juan Carlos García Sánchez.
