Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Between Paradigm Shift and the “Frankenstein Complex” in Educational Practices

Authors: Antonella Bambacaro, Francesco Paraggio, Rosanna Tammaro

This contribution presents a systematic bibliographic review of studies published between 2015 and 2025 regarding artificial intelligence in education, focusing on teachers pedagogical practices, professional agency, and ethical decision-making. The analysis is framed using the Kuhnian concept of a paradigm shift alongside the Frankenstein complex, understood as the anxiety generated when a human creation appears to exceed or escape the original intentions of its creator. In educational contexts, artificial intelligence supports lesson planning, content generation, adaptive tutoring, learning analytics, assessment, and simulation-based learning. These capabilities promise increased efficiency, enhanced personalization, and broader access to learning opportunities (Kasneci et al., 2023; Unesco, 2024; Zawacki-Richter et al., 2019). Yet, their pedagogical value is not intrinsic. Generative systems can help teachers draft materials, but their outputs require rigorous verification and contextual adaptation (Selwyn, 2021).