Ranking the Factors Affecting the Impact of Artificial Intelligence in Academic Education on Organizational Vitality in Universities of Mazandaran Province

The aim of this study is to rank the factors affecting the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in academic education on organizational vitality in universities of Mazandaran province. This exploratory mixed-method study included both qualitative and quantitative phases. In the qualitative part, using the Delphi technique and semi-structured interviews with 10 academic experts, key indicators were identified. The quantitative phase included a stratified random sample of 304 faculty members from Mazandaran universities, selected via Cochran’s formula. Data collection was conducted through a researcher-made questionnaire with 65 items across 9 dimensions. Data were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis in SPSS. Exploratory factor analysis extracted 8 key factors explaining 76.691% of the total variance. The KMO value was 0.891, and Bartlett’s test was significant (p<0.001), indicating sampling adequacy. Friedman’s test showed significant differences in the importance of dimensions (χ²=161.343, df=8, p<0.001). "Educational applications" ranked highest (mean rank = 5.88), followed by "Management and policymaking" (mean rank = 5.72). The lowest ranked was "Technological roles and challenges" (mean rank = 3.75). The remaining dimensions were positioned in-between, such as human resources, ethics, infrastructure, and AI strategy evaluation. The study concludes that AI can play a transformative role in university education and positively influence organizational vitality. However, achieving this requires focused attention on practical applications, policy integration, and human capacity development.