AI Literacy and Teachers Digital Competencies

Abstract

Abstract: Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming teaching practices, learning processes, and the production of digital educational resources, creating the need for teachers to develop competencies that go beyond the instrumental use of technological tools. This study analyzes AI literacy and the pedagogical competencies associated with the use of AI among teachers participating in an applied training experience. A mixed-method, descriptive study was conducted with 46 teachers who took part in the course-workshop AI for Teachers: Transforming Education, held in May 2026 at the Cuetzalan campus of the Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, Mexico. The training experience included activities involving information search and organization, content generation, instructional planning, and the design of educational materials using different AI tools. The analysis focused on four interconnected dimensions of AI literacy: understanding and awareness, practical use, pedagogical integration, and critical and responsible use. The findings indicate that sustained practical experience contributed to greater familiarity with AI tools and to more intentional forms of use linked to academic and professional purposes. Participants increasingly considered criteria such as relevance, usability, reliability, pedagogical appropriateness, and ethical implications when selecting and applying AI tools. The results also highlight digital material design as a particularly relevant space for integrating technological knowledge, pedagogical judgment, critical evaluation, and ethical responsibility. The study concludes that teacher AI literacy should be understood as an integrated professional competence that enables educators not only to use AI, but also to decide when, how, why, and under what criteria it should be incorporated into educational practice.