CAN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE REPLACE PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN COLOMBIA?

Abstract

This article analyzes the potential replacement of primary school teachers by Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Colombia from a philosophical and regulatory perspective. The central thesis argues that, while AI can undertake technical and repetitive functions, it is incapable of replicating the ethical, moral, and political dimensions of pedagogical labor. However, it is argued that in real-world scenarios marked by precariousness, inequality, and educational standardization, partial substitution is not only feasible but may be ethically justifiable as a measure of distributive justice in the absence of quality education. The text examines the tension between the normative ideal of the teacher as a mentor and the empirical reality of the teacher as a curricular executor. It proposes that the emergence of AI acts as a "structural revealer" of current systemic flaws, forcing a profound reform of assessment models and the teaching role. Finally, a critical and contextual implementation proposal for the country is presented, conditioned on strict safeguards: algorithmic audits, radical transparency, protection of children's data, and the maintenance of human sovereignty in educational decision-making. The conclusion emphasizes that the challenge is not to halt technology, but to redefine the act of educating to rescue what is essentially human.