In today's globalized and hyper-connected world, the development of Artificial Intelligence is constantly blossoming and changing its shape. The phoenix that was smoldering under the ashes of the 80s, after its first winter, has regained its legendary beauty and is preparing, perhaps, to change the perception of reality that we have experienced until now. During the years the Artificial Intelligence has inspired the cinematography industry and now is a technology that is promising both vantages and challenges. Movies such “Blade Runner, Io Robot, AI” already forecasted somehow the important rules of the Artificial Intelligence. Citing the words of Arthur C. Clarke's third law, some years ago, the response to the question what Artificial Intelligence was, could have been “Any sufficiently advanced tech is indistinguishable from magic”. But nowadays we know that it is not simple magic but a pure essence of humankind capacity.

This article seeks to show how Artificial Intelligence fits in the specific strategic sector of learning and education. The latter is to be considered a strategic environment, in which States invest huge resources as a point of development and cognitive superiority. To support the educational sphere, the digital evolution is an important factor to bear in mind at the moment of learning process. The use of digital environments, the implementation of elements of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT) mixed with innovative student-center perspectives in the sphere of learning and teaching are outcomes that shall be pursued by educational institutions. Currently, we have moved from the definition of Education 3.0 to that of Education 4.0, which sees the implementation of Artificial Intelligence in the world of training and learning. The concept behind this valuable and strategic asset in the field of education is to create a strategic pillar for all nations, and provide personnel and future generations always ready to operate and in continuous training.

In order to meet the expectations, the response shall be developed in the Higher education environment that is the base where it is possibile to enhance those requirements. For this reason, the use of AI during the Education path of the students should be aimed to promote the development and progress in the learning and teaching process among students from diverse backgrounds.

The article consists of an introduction that defines theoretical framework regarding the evolution and the bases of the Artificial Intelligence. Following that, a section of methodology is explained and it states two research questions. Data are collected through an anonymous questionnaire to a sample of students. The data are analysed through a SWOT analysis on the use of Artificial Intelligence in the learning environment. Once the results of the investigation are displayed, there is a final section that tries to answer the two research questions, defined as H1 and H2. These considerations can be seen either as a starting point or confirmation for other researches on the topic discussed. Indeed, this paper is aimed to spread useful information and concrete example on how the AI is perceived.

Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, SWOT Analysis, Students’ perception, AI for Education.