From Access to Ability: Educator’s Perspectives on AI and New Digital Divides in Higher Education

Abstract In this article, we present how academic staff at Norwegian higher education institutions assess potential digital divides that may emerge when AI-based text production tools are introduced into higher education. In earlier research, the concept of digital divides has been linked to unequal access to technology. This study emphasizes that new digital divides can arise because not all users possess the necessary competencies to benefit equally from these tools, and that success requires AI literacy, critical and analytical thinking, as well as the ability to provide precise instructions. The informants point out that digital divides occur not only between groups of students, but also between different subjects and disciplines. Moreover, the study indicates that the demand for competencies in the humanities increases with the growing presence of AI, even though skepticism toward employing AI-based tools is most pronounced in these very disciplines. The article, thus, highlights how developments in AI may reinforce or create new digital divides, along with the implications this may have for both teaching practices and student learning outcomes. The study is based on data collected through a survey and two focus group interviews of academic staff at Norwegian higher education institutions.