Beyond the Algorithm: The Pedagogical Meaning of Assessment in the Age of AI

Abstract

This article analyzes the scope and tensions associated with the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in formative assessment processes within a post-pandemic educational context marked by rapid transformations and persistent inequalities. Drawing on the systematization of a teacher-training experience developed within a postgraduate course, AI is examined from a socio-technical perspective, emphasizing the need for a critical and inclusive digital literacy that goes beyond an instrumental approach. As a result of the collective reflection, the article offers both conceptual tools to guide practice and pedagogical criteria for designing prompts that foster critical thinking. As a concrete contribution, it presents the conceptual design of an interactive web application to support the development of AI-mediated formative assessments. This tool—conceived from an accessible, ethical, and humanistic perspective—enables users to define framework prompts, configure the AI’s role, and accompany the teaching and learning process. The article concludes that the challenge posed by AI, far from diminishing the teaching role, urges educators to refine their craft, positioning them as artisans of meaningful learning experiences and as irreplaceable guarantors of the ethical and human dimension of formative assessment.