ANXIETY AND PEDAGOGICAL BURNOUT AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THE FACE OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

The rapid emergence of generative artificial intelligence in secondary school classrooms transformed the pedagogical dynamics, shifting from operational technostress to a profound existential anxiety that threatened the emotional stability and authority of teachers. The aim of this popular science article was to analyse the network of affective interactions and teachers’ emotional exhaustion in order to promote the sustainability of internal balance within the school environment. To achieve this, the methodological strategy adopted a qualitative approach based on the lay and hermeneutic interpretation of specialist sources and empirical data, facilitating public understanding of complex phenomena such as infrastructure gaps between urban and rural settings, the reconfiguration of the teacher’s role from a repository of knowledge to a facilitating guide, and the ethical dissonance arising from constant suspicion of plagiarism. The results of the analysis showed that technical training enhanced teachers’ operational proficiency and positive attitude, although it did nothing to alter their mistrust regarding the originality of students’ work; furthermore, a generational divergence was revealed, with novice educators promoting active ethical literacy in contrast to the restrictive control exercised by their more experienced counterparts. It was concluded that true educational innovation did not depend on technological sophistication, but rather on the emotional stability of the teaching staff; therefore, public policies should ensure continuous professional development centred on ethical considerations, institutional support and the preservation of the irreplaceable emotional bond in the teaching and learning process, thereby consolidating a more humane and conscious scientific culture within the community.