Artificial Intelligence and digital competence: A bibliometric study of scientific production

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is transforming teaching and learning processes. For this transformation to be effective, a higher level of digital competence among its users is essential. In this context, it is important to analyze how the scientific community addresses this relationship. For this reason, the objective of this study is to examine the scientific production related to this phenomenon through a comprehensive review of the literature indexed in Scopus. Regarding the implemented methodology, the PRISMA protocol was applied, yielding a final sample of 128 documents published between 2019 and 2024, which were analyzed using different bibliometric techniques. The results reveal a progressively increasing production, with greater representation in the fields of computer science and social sciences. The output is essentially dominated by articles and book chapters, with the most active journals belonging to the field of education. Spain leads the scientific production, being the University of Malaga and the University of the Basque Country the most prolific institutions. The most influential authors’ publications (bibliographic coupling) focus on teachers’ digital competence in relation to AI, particularly on how to develop these competences for the integration of AI into pedagogy. These studies highlight the emerging and transformative nature of AI and digital competence in education. The findings also highlight a lack of collaborative research networks (co-authorship), although some alliances are beginning to consolidate (co-citation). Emerging research lines (co-occurrence) focus on teachers’ AI use and the analysis of specific software, such as chatGPT. In conclusion, further studies are needed to demonstrate how enhanced digital competence enables a richer and more responsible use of AI, with teacher training being a key factor within this process.