“George, the Guardian of Galápagos”: An AI Agent for Environmental Action in Secondary Education

Abstract

Abstract

The environmental crisis and the advancement of generative artificial intelligence pose new challenges and opportunities for education. The objective of this study was to describe the level of development of environmental action competence in secondary school students during their interaction with a Narrative Conversational Agent based on generative artificial intelligence. A quantitative approach was adopted, with a non-experimental, descriptive, and cross-sectional design; the sample consisted of 28 upper basic education students from the Unidad Educativa Provincia de Bolívar, selected through non-probabilistic convenience sampling. The instrument used was a structured questionnaire adapted from the Environmental Empathy Scale (EES), with a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.788. The results showed a positive evaluation of the conversational agent GEORGE-BOT-SERVER: 85.7% of students reported a high level of doubt resolution, 100% indicated being inspired to seek further information, and 89.3% expressed a high willingness to take action in favor of endangered species. Likewise, 71.4% reached high levels of environmental awareness and sensitivity. It is concluded that conversational agents based on generative artificial intelligence can constitute a significant tool for strengthening environmental action competence in secondary students, although their integration into more practical pedagogical strategies requires further exploration.