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Camilo José Cela University hosted an inspiring conversation between Paul LeBlanc, visiting professor and special adviser at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Doctor Honoris Causa from UCJC, and Kelly Palmer, speaker, author, and international education adviser—two internationally renowned voices in the fields of education and the future of work—together with Nieves Segovia, president of the SEK Education Group. The event placed a key question for our community at the center: “What role do we want educational institutions to play in the age of artificial intelligence?”
Paul LeBlanc shared reflections on the use of AI agents and their human implications. He spoke about the risks posed by chatbots, from accompanying people experiencing loneliness to the dangers of overdependence, and the challenge of not replacing human relationships but strengthening them: “It’s not about replacing teachers or counselors, but about thinking when and how we use agents, and what we want humans to continue doing.”
Kelly Palmer, an expert in advising major companies on the future of work, warned about the profound impact of AI on employment, particularly in information-economy roles. She reminded the audience that many companies already use AI in their processes, but very few are investing in training their professionals in these tools—creating a worrying gap: AI skills are being demanded but not systematically developed.
Both agreed that the answer cannot be “doing the same things faster with AI”, but rather redesigning jobs: deciding which tasks should be carried out by AI agents and which must remain deeply human. LeBlanc spoke of the emergence of a possible “care economy,” where professions such as teaching, healthcare, emotional support, or elder care will gain value if their conditions are dignified and supported by technology: “These are jobs that improve people, communities, and society.”
In the educational sphere, the message was clear: AI forces us to rethink the model. Knowledge can no longer be the sole center, because it is “just one prompt away.” What will truly matter is what our students are able to do with what they know, and that requires new forms of assessment—more practice-based, linked to real projects, and focused on human skills: empathy, creativity, teamwork, critical thinking, or ethical principles.
The president closed the dialogue by recalling an old idea from a French doctor: the most valuable tool a physician has is the chair used to sit beside the patient and listen. She used the metaphor to reflect on our daily work: no matter how much technology we incorporate, the essential will remain our capacity to be present, to accompany, and to care. AI can enhance what we do; the purpose and the people we serve will always remain in our hands.
