Artificial intelligence in sport management education: A students' perspective

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming both higher education and the sport industry. This study qualitatively explores the perceptions of sport management students regarding AI's integration into academic contexts and the sport industry, guided by the Uses and Gratifications Theory (U&G) and the Disruptive Innovation Theory (DIT). Seventy-nine undergraduates from a Spanish university completed an open-ended questionnaire after a classroom debate on AI. Thematic analysis revealed that, consistent with U&G, students use AI to fulfil cognitive needs (e.g., acquiring and clarifying information, generating ideas) and instrumental needs (e.g., improving efficiency, solving problems quickly). Reported benefits included rapid access to information, enhanced learning support, and time savings, while concerns focused on plagiarism, reduced creativity, overreliance, and unreliable outputs. From a DIT perspective, students viewed AI as a potentially disruptive force capable of transforming sport management education and industry practices, generating opportunities for innovation but also posing risks such as job displacement and over-automation. Overall sentiment was cautiously positive, with calls for ethical guidelines, targeted training, and balanced adoption that leverages AI's advantages without eroding essential human skills. This situated perspective provides practical and theoretical insights for integrating AI into sport management curricula and informs future quantitative or mixed-method research. • Explores AI perceptions of sport management students through qualitative analysis. • Applies Uses & Gratifications and Disruptive Innovation theories to AI education. • Students see AI as a study aid but fear plagiarism, dependency, and misuse. • Students call for AI literacy, ethics training, and clear usage guidelines. • AI seen as disruptive: reshaping both higher education and the sport industry.