Artificial Intelligence Offers a New Perspective on Education: IPN

• To foster the training of professionals in this field, the IPN will offer a Master’s and Doctoral program in Science and Technology of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science starting in 2025

• The 2025 postgraduate program calls for applications are now available on the website of the Centro de Investigación en Computación (CIC) del IPN.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to bridge unprecedented educational possibilities and, as recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), it offers tools to tackle some of today’s greatest challenges in education, stated Ponciano Jorge Escamilla Ambrosio, Coordinator of the Master’s and Doctoral programs in Science and Technology of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at the Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN).

Dr. Escamilla highlighted that the development of AI—where machines learn to generate their responses based on vast datasets—now permeates all aspects of life, from search engines, social media, and voice assistants to navigation apps on mobile devices.

AI noted the CIC researcher, is of vital importance as it impacts nearly every aspect of daily life worldwide. It also underpins countless solutions, such as consultancy systems, chatbots, autonomous vehicles, predictive systems, and the control of various processes. “AI is here to stay,” he emphasized.

Dr. Escamilla further explained that AI could be a catalyst for unlocking educational potential. Currently, students and teachers use it for various purposes, including consulting, writing, programming, and designing. However, its full potential in education is still being explored, with benefits such as inclusivity and personalized learning undergoing continuous analysis.

In education, teachers could use AI to automate administrative tasks, track attendance, monitor student performance in real-time, manage classes and grades, and identify risks of dropout to enable early intervention.

“For educators, data analysis could offer insights into student progress, supporting informed decisions on pedagogical strategies. Virtual assistants can also aid both teachers and students in task management and information retrieval. However, it is crucial to prioritize the human role in the teaching-learning process,” explained Dr. Escamilla, a Level II member of the National System of Researchers (SNII).

Students, he added, can leverage AI-powered adaptive learning platforms that tailor content to their knowledge levels; advanced search tools for efficient data analysis; chatbots for real-time assistance and autonomous learning; and simulations with augmented or virtual reality, providing immersive, hands-on experiences.

IPN to Offer Master’s and Doctoral Programs in Science and Technology of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science in 2025

Starting in 2025, the IPN will introduce Master’s and Doctoral programs in Science and Technology of Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. These programs aim to train scientists and technologists capable of developing solutions that integrate systems with reality, learning, reasoning, and knowledge acquisition.

The postgraduate programs, whose calls for applications are already available on the CIC’s website, will be offered at several IPN campuses: the Centro de Investigación en Computación (CIC), the Centro de Innovación y Desarrollo Tecnológico en Cómputo (CIDETEC), the Escuela Superior de Cómputo (ESCOM), the Escuela Superior de Física y Matemáticas (ESFM), and the Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria en Ingeniería y Tecnologías Avanzadas (UPIITA).

Given the critical role of AI in shaping the present and future of the country, the IPN has been actively advancing in this field. In January 2020, it established the Artificial Intelligence and Data Science Network and launched the Artificial Intelligence Engineering program, which is now offered at ESCOM and the Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Ingeniería, Tlaxcala campus (UPIIT).