Artificial intelligence is transforming the field of higher education in general and the field of master’s teaching in particular. And he is doing it both in substance and in form. That is, in how the training is given and in the subjects themselves that are taught. In recent years, various official titles in artificial intelligence have emerged, some of them linked to engineering, others to language processing, and others to robotics. Own or continuing training degrees in AI have also proliferated, both by universities and business schools.
In general, this type of courses – whose cost ranges between 3,000 and 10,000 euros – allow get a specialization to access professions such as data analyst; ‘data scientist’; business intelligence architect; data engineer; ‘chief data officer’; expert in ‘deep learning’; artificial intelligence engineer; or artificial intelligence consultant, among many others.
Enrique Puertas is director of the Master in Big Data Analytics at the European University and explains that 2025 could mark a milestone in terms of the penetration of AI into our daily lives: «This emergence also implies new challenges. We need trained professionals to respond to this increase in demand for technological services. For this reason, training is especially important and must be connected to degrees and postgraduate degrees in related areas, he explains. On the other hand, I believe that it is urgent that all professionals, regardless of the sector, are trained in the responsible use of AI. “Let them know what is behind the technology and what risk its incorrect use entails.” From the Observatory of AI in Higher Education, created by this same University and in which companies (IBM, Telefónica, Mediaset or Arquimea) and other universities such as the Complutense, Santiago de Compostela, La Coruña or Alicante also participate, it is stated that Until now, AI integration has focused mainly on technical disciplines and highlights the need to start offering a more transversal approach that covers various areas of knowledge.
That is precisely the essence of the Master in Applied Artificial Intelligence at the Carlos III University. This master’s degree is structured into modules that combine theory and practice and prepares you to use in a strategic and optimized way all the resources that AI offers: machine learning, neural networks and natural language processing in areas such as healthcare, finance, production and transportation. “The success of applied AI allows us to increase efficiency, reduce costs and obtain better results in many areas on which a company pivots, such as finance, marketing, HR and operations,” they explain from this University.
Another example of AI training focused on a specific sector of activity is the Master’s Degree in Lifelong Training in Artificial Intelligence Applied to Sports, taught by the University of Valencia, and designed, for example, to identify and prevent sports injuries and optimize performance. through AI techniques. In the case of the Master’s Degree in AI applied to the energy and industry sector designed by UNIR, the Rey Juan Carlos University and the University of Alcalá, this degree helps identify and apply the most appropriate artificial intelligence algorithms to solve complex problems in the renewable energy sector, infrastructure and smart cities, among others.
For its part, the UAB has the Master in Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in Health that delves into the potential provided by the use of large amounts of data in this sector. «Together with the capacity for knowledge extraction and deep learning, great precision can be achieved in diagnosis and prognosis. With these technological and decision-making tools, medical professionals can focus more on patient care, which is perhaps one of the biggest problems in current medicine,” they explain.
The field of masters related to the legal implications of AI deserves a separate chapter. The approval of the AI Law by the European Commission establishes a legal framework to regulate the use of AI in Europe that companies and users must internalize and for which they must prepare. For example, the University of Salamanca has the Master of Lifelong Training in Artificial Intelligence and Legaltech, which combines technology and law, areas that are experiencing revolutionary changes. “By educating lawyers and legal professionals in the use and understanding of artificial intelligence and legaltech, the program not only enhances their professional skills and capabilities, but also prepares them to lead and adapt to changes in the legal environment.” . In addition, the program addresses ethical and regulatory issues, guaranteeing that the adoption of new technologies in the legal field is carried out in a responsible and conscious manner,” they explain from the University.
The legal framework will directly influence how educational systems should approach the teaching of AI, ensuring that students not only learn to use it, but also understand its legal and ethical implications. «As AI continues to transform education, there are several challenges that lie ahead. Perhaps the most important is the ethics in the use of AI in educational decision making. This appropriate use is a growing concern – explains José Gabriel Aguilera Maldonado, professor of the Master’s Degree in Educational Technology and Digital Skills at UNIR. Other critical areas are transparency in the algorithms used and protecting student privacy are all aspects that must be addressed to ensure the ethical and fair implementation of technology in education. Another very important challenge is teacher training. As AI tools become more common in classrooms, teachers need to learn new skills to make the most of these technologies and guide students effectively. Training again plays a vital role in this adaptive and continuous process of evolution that is educating.
The approval of the AI Law establishes a legal framework to regulate its use in Europe that companies and users must internalize
Without losing sight of the need for good use of this technology in the educational field, the advantages of AI in the way studies are delivered are increasingly notable. «One of the greatest advances that artificial intelligence offers to education is the personalization of learning. Each student has their own learning style and their own pace depending even on the subject studied, which makes it difficult for teachers to adjust the content to all students. However, with the help of AI, it is possible to create adaptive and personalized study plans that fit the individual needs of each student and subject based on the requirements,” explains Maldonado.
Additionally, AI-based educational platforms analyze student behavior, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and automatically adjust content and exercises to their needs. This approach not only improves academic performance, but also increases student motivation by offering a challenge appropriate to their level of competence. AI allows access to additional resources at any time, ensuring continuous and flexible learning. Platforms like Aleks or Smart Sparrow also offer personalized experiences, analyzing student behavior and automatically adjusting content and exercises.
«Something that educators know well is that each student is different when it comes to facing a training itinerary – says Pedro Meseguer González, scientific researcher at the Institute for Research in Artificial Intelligence (IIA) – Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) – . AI allows you to detect your strengths and weaknesses to make progress in the proposed content more flexible; The tutor can provide extra support on the issues that generate the most difficulty without causing frustration for the student, but rather a way of motivating the achievement of results. From the analysis of the student’s navigation within the virtual classroom, their preferences can be detected and act as a recommendation systemwhich combines the content consumed and the interactions carried out. In language learning, voice recognition systems can offer invaluable help, saving rounds of interactions with instructors that are limited to the mere repetition of vocalizations.
But AI not only transforms the way it is assessed and taught, it also changes the role of teachers in the classroom. Teachers no longer limit themselves to transmitting knowledge; Now, with the support of AI, they can focus on being guides and facilitators of student learning. By automating repetitive tasks, such as marking exams or generating reports, educators have more time to develop vital skills such as critical thinking or problem solving within the classroom. This transformation, on the other hand, implies greater interaction between teachers and technology; teachers must learn the use of new tools and make the most of their benefits. “AI, far from replacing educators, becomes an ally that enhances their work, offering new opportunities to improve teaching and make it more effective and efficient, in addition to being a link for everyone,” says Maldonado.
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