Transformaciones docentes ante la inteligencia artificial

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education generates concrete tensions and opportunities for teacher training, particularly in Latin American regions such as La Araucanía, where gaps in professional development, cultural diversity, and unequal technological access coexist. Despite growing institutional interest in incorporating AI tools into teaching, instrumental approaches predominate, failing to promote critical or reflective pedagogical appropriations. Drawing on an interpretive qualitative approach grounded in grounded theory and reflexive thematic analysis, we analyzed 23 digital portfolios from 26 university teachers who participated in an educational AI diploma program at a Chilean university, through open and axial coding, constant comparison, and researcher triangulation. The analysis identified three core categories: pedagogical transformations, expressed as a shift from instrumental views toward strategic and contextualized understandings of AI; expansion of teaching competencies, encompassing critical digital literacy, ethical judgment, and metacognition about one's own practice; and ethical and critical awareness, reflected in concerns about academic integrity, algorithmic bias, transparency, and equity. The findings show that a critical, reflective, and situated teacher training program can foster genuine pedagogical transformations when it coherently integrates theoretical, practical, ethical, and metacognitive dimensions. These findings contribute empirical evidence to debates on AI-focused teacher professional development in Latin America and offer guidance for designing training programs that move beyond merely instrumental approaches.