Exploring Faculty Readiness for Generative AI Integration in UAE Higher Education

The rapid emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has reshaped higher education by extending AI use beyond specialized applications into broader academic practices. Although student adoption has occurred rapidly, effective integration of generative AI in teaching and learning depends largely on faculty readiness and institutional support. This study conducted a preliminary examination of self-reported faculty AI readiness and adoption among 144 faculty members who responded to a cross-sectional quantitative survey distributed across higher education institutions in the United Arab Emirates. Exploratory factor analysis identified five dimensions of faculty AI engagement: AI Awareness and Literacy, AI Teaching Use, Perceived AI Benefits, Institutional Support, and Personal Readiness. The findings indicate that respondents reported high self-perceived AI Awareness and Literacy and comparatively lower AI Teaching Use. However, Spearman correlations showed that AI Teaching Use was positively associated with both AI Awareness and Literacy and Perceived AI Benefits, with a stronger association observed for Perceived AI Benefits. Individual faculty characteristics, including academic rank, discipline, and teaching experience, were not significantly associated with differences in AI engagement, whereas institutional context was associated with variation in perceived support and benefits. These findings suggest that strengthening faculty AI adoption requires universities to move beyond awareness-building toward providing clear pedagogical guidance, appropriate infrastructure, and targeted professional development opportunities.