Artificial intelligence as a university educational tool: a narrative bibliographic review

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a strategic tool in higher education due to its ability to transform teaching, learning, and institutional management processes. This study presents a narrative literature review aimed at identifying the main applications, benefits, and challenges associated with the integration of AI in university education. A total of 53 scientific articles published between 2021 and 2024 were analyzed, selected through a systematic search in the Scopus database and filtered according to defined inclusion criteria.

The findings reveal that AI is used in higher education to personalize learning, enhance evaluation processes, develop intelligent tutoring systems, and automate administrative tasks. Benefits include improved academic performance, support for teaching, and the strengthening of critical thinking and creativity. However, significant challenges also emerge, such as ethical concerns, data privacy, equitable access, and the need for teacher training.

At the methodological level, three predominant approaches were identified in the analyzed literature: bibliometric analyses, systematic reviews, and empirical or reflective studies, which complement each other to provide a comprehensive view of the phenomenon. The study concludes that ensuring responsible and effective AI integration in higher education requires the establishment of ethical regulatory frameworks, the reduction of technological gaps, the reinforcement of teacher training, and the promotion of more contextualized empirical research.