The role of artificial intelligence in the transformation of professional identity in pedagogy within the context of the digital school

Abstract

The article analyzes the transformation of the teacher’s professional identity in the conditions of the digital school under the influence of the integration of artificial intelligence technologies, which is determined by the contradiction between the rapid growth of the AI solutions market and the slow adaptation of teachers’ professional consciousness. The aim of the study is to identify structural shifts in the competence profile, activity structure, and value-semantic sphere of the teacher, as well as to determine the factors that facilitate or hinder the successful integration of AI into educational practice. The theoretical basis is an interdisciplinary analysis of more than 170 scientific sources within the framework of the concept of sociotechnical systems; the empirical basis is a sample of 648 school teachers from 12 regions of Russia with different levels of digitalization, stratified by experience and subject area. The study employed an author’s self-assessment questionnaire of digital, analytical, and ethical-legal competencies, day-in-the-life time mapping with subsequent digitization, and semi-structured in-depth interviews (n = 45); quantitative analysis was conducted using SPSS 26.0 and Python (descriptive statistics, ANOVA, correlation-regression models), while qualitative analysis was performed using thematic coding in NVivo 12. The results demonstrate a statistically significant increase in self-assessed digital literacy, particularly in competencies related to educational data analysis and the use of AI tools for assessment, while retaining a low level of ethical-legal reflection and high polarization within the teaching community. A radical redistribution of time expenditure was identified: a reduction in time devoted to checking and reporting activities and an increase in time allocated to tutoring, designing individual learning trajectories, and continuous professional development, which reflects the shift from the role of lesson-giver to that of teacher-designer and teacher-analyst. Factor analysis of barriers revealed the leading role of a lack of systemic methodological support, technological instability, and increased cognitive load, whereas ethical concerns occupy a subordinate but significant position. The conclusion emphasizes the formation of a new, internally contradictory professional identity of the teacher that combines engineering-analytical and humanistic components, and substantiates the need for an advanced professional development system aimed at fostering data literacy and digital ethics, as well as reducing the intra-professional digital divide.