Exploring STEM educators’ perspectives on the integration of AI-enabled technologies in teaching and learning

• New insights from STEM educators about the integration of AI into classrooms. • Educators recognize AI as an ‘affective’ tool enhancing teacher-student relationships. • AI supports students’ grasp of complex disciplinary content as a cognitive scaffold. • Insights were presented on human interaction-centered AI-enhanced pedagogy. • Structured, discipline-specific AI training was suggested. The innovation and proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are transforming Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines and pedagogical practices, making it essential to prepare educators for this evolving landscape. This qualitative study explores STEM educators’ perceptions of how they developed proficiency with AI-enabled technologies, what motivated their adoption, and the challenges they faced in classroom integration. Using a cross-sectional survey design, we collected open-ended responses from 27 in-service secondary STEM educators in the United States and analyzed the data through the reflexive thematic analysis. Our findings revealed that STEM educators recognized AI as a cognitive scaffold that can support student understanding of complex content and a socio-affective tool that can help enhance teacher–student relationships. The participants highlighted that by streamlining routine tasks, AI allowed them to reclaim time for meaningful student interactions and responsive instruction. The participants also reported developing their AI proficiency through self-directed learning, peer support, and professional networks, driven by motivations to enhance instructional efficiency, support personalized learning, and prepare students for AI-driven futures. However, the participants emphasized several significant challenges, including lack of institutional support, the overwhelming abundance of AI tools, concerns about affordability, and students’ growing overreliance on AI systems. These insights highlight the need for structured, discipline-specific professional development for in-service educators to promote effective and human-centered integration of AI in STEM education. This study contributes to a growing body of research by centering STEM educators’ perspectives and offering novel insights into how to support their effective integration of AI technologies into STEM teaching and learning.