Generative AI reshapes Argentine universities and Latin American schools

A new book, *Saber o no saber* by Silvia Bacher and Tomás Balmaceda, analyses how generative artificial intelligence is entering classrooms across Latin America. The authors point to three digital gaps – access, meaningful use and sense – that risk widening inequality. They cite data from CEPAL showing only 38 % of rural households have internet, and from a UNICEF‑UNESCO survey where 76 % of Argentine students know ChatGPT and 58 % have used it, mainly for encyclopedia searches, summarising, drafting and plagiarism, while only 60 % feel confident evaluating online sources.

A separate study of 1,059 first‑year economics students at the University of Buenos Aires reveals that 62 % own a personal PC or notebook and 75 % have stable internet, yet 27 % have never used generative AI. Overall, 73 % have used it at least monthly, with 55 % of 17‑19‑year‑olds using it weekly. The research highlights a generation arriving at university with self‑taught AI skills, creating heterogeneous prior learning capital and raising questions about the role of guided, pedagogical AI in higher education.