The importance of ethics, governance and leadership in meeting the artificial intelligence challenge in higher education: a critical review

Recent academic literature into artificial intelligence (AI) highlights the strengths and weaknesses of its use in a broader context, including in higher education institutions (HEIs). In response to the complex challenge presented by AI technology, students, faculty and leadership in HEIs must navigate an educational paradigm shift in pedagogy, ethics, governance and leadership. AI’s rapid deployment and innovation has exposed a lack of planning, strategic effectiveness and responsiveness by management across HEIs. This critical review will benchmark the readiness of stakeholders to meet the AI opportunities and challenges with a focus on AI governance frameworks within HEIs. This paper’s findings suggest HEIs’ analysis and proposed frameworks remains stunted at a conceptual level, where most stakeholders have a black-box mentality regarding AI. Key recommendations advocate for HEIs to engage with stakeholders; to attain the requisite AI literacy and awareness, along with staged implementation, for HEIs to shape AI to meet their future educational needs.