PAES 2026 and AI: in the home stretch, the key is using it to train judgment, not replace it

By La Tercera · October 23, 2026.

La Tercera TV published an episode of its "Radar LT" program on how to prepare for the PAES 2026 (Chile's higher education admission test) amid students' growing use of artificial intelligence. According to the outlet's description, experts offer recommendations for preparing, strengthening critical thinking and managing anxiety in the final stretch.

The material we had access to is only the video's listing: it does not include the content of the recommendations, the experts' names or figures on AI use among students. So we cannot detail what specific advice is given, and we prefer not to make it up.

Our take, which is our opinion and not the video's: the approach rightly brings together two concerns that go hand in hand. In general, a tool that answers instantly can become a crutch if students ask it for solutions rather than explanations. That feeds anxiety: the feeling of understanding while reading the answer fades in the exam, where there is no assistant.

The healthy use, in our view, is that of an augmented tutor: asking the AI to generate practice questions, explain a mistake step by step or act as a sparring partner for defending an argument, and then checking for oneself whether one has understood. It is the same thesis we argue for education in general: the winners are those who orchestrate AI, not those who merely consult it.

In the short term, the educational transition will be uncomfortable: assessment systems based on memorizing and reproducing are exposed, and students and families feel it as pressure. In the long term, the promise is personalized learning within anyone's reach, regardless of their school or income. To get there, judgment and the ability to learn how to learn are what really need training, and good preparation for the PAES can be a first exercise in that.