DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION: IMPACTS ON LEARNING AND VOCATIONAL TRAINING

Abstract

This article analyzes the impacts of digital technologies and artificial intelligence on higher education, considering their relationship with learning processes, cognitive development, and contemporary professional training. The study discusses the evolution of pedagogical theories, from classical teaching models to contemporary student-centered approaches, highlighting the transformations promoted by Information and Communication Digital Technologies (ICTs) in the educational context. The research is characterized as qualitative and exploratory-descriptive in nature, developed through narrative bibliographic research and theoretical-interpretative analysis of scientific productions related to education, neuroscience, digital technologies, and artificial intelligence. The theoretical framework is based on classical educational authors such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Lev Vygotsky, and Paulo Freire, as well as contemporary contributions from Miguel Nicolelis, Maryanne Wolf, Pierre Lévy, and Martha Gabriel. The results indicate that digital technologies expand possibilities related to accessibility, personalized learning, collective intelligence, and collaborative learning. However, the excessive and unregulated use of artificial intelligence may compromise essential competencies such as critical thinking, intellectual autonomy, interpretation, and reflective capacity. It is inferred that the main challenge of contemporary higher education lies in balancing technological innovation and human development, ensuring the ethical, critical, and pedagogically guided use of digital technologies in the educational process.