Early Exploration About Generative AI’s Impact on Engineering Education: A Focus on the Spanish Context

The introduction of ChatGPT in November 2022 represented a disruptive innovation, leading to a remarkable change in the technological paradigm. The boom in generative AI-based tools arrived, bringing about significant changes. In the world of education, these AI tools have a lot of potential: from acting as a virtual teacher and adapting learning to assisting teachers in performing routine tasks. However, there are also associated risks, such as the loss of critical thinking and interpersonal skills. Navigating this transformative landscape requires a careful balance between leveraging the benefits of AI tools and addressing the potential drawbacks, ensuring that education remains a holistic and enriching experience for students. Therefore, in this study we conducted a survey and an exploration of some Spanish conferences on teaching, with the aim of investigating the advantages of adopting AI in teaching. The results show that the possibilities offered by generative AI are promising for both students and teachers. For teachers, it can be useful as a support tool for the evaluation of certain activities, while students can use it as a support for drafting or summarising texts, among others.