Artificial Intelligence as a Pedagogical Medium: Transformations and Challenges of Knowledge Mediation

Abstract

The rise of generative artificial intelligence systems is profoundly transforming pedagogical practices in higher education, where these tools increasingly act as mediators of knowledge. This article examines how AI use in university contexts reconfigures pedagogical mediation and the teacher–learner relationship by assuming functions traditionally associated with teaching, such as rephrasing, clarification, and learning guidance. Adopting a mediological and critical perspective on digital education, the study analyzes the effects of algorithmic mediation on role distribution, knowledge legitimacy, and student autonomy. It is based on a qualitative interpretive methodology conducted at Mohammed Premier University, combining semi-structured interviews with higher education instructors and a questionnaire administered to students from various academic levels and disciplines. The findings reveal AI-assisted student autonomy correlates with instrumental dependence, alongside a redefinition of the teacher’s role as an epistemological and critical mediator, reshaping the traditional pedagogical process. The study concludes that AI does not replace pedagogical mediation but reconfigures it by introducing a technical third party requiring clearly defined pedagogical, ethical, and institutional frameworks.