Content area
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is significantly reshaping work settings, influencing the context, conditions, and content of various professional roles. It becomes crucial to assess AI’s effect on academic work. This study explores AI’s application within teaching and research tasks in academia. Specifically, it pursues two Objectives (1) to identify and describe both current and prospective AI systems in higher education, and (2) to characterize the opportunities and risks of integrating AI into academic environments. Interviews were conducted with 28 participants from Portugal, the Netherlands, and the United States. The questions addressed AI’s influence on Ethical Principles and Decent Work Dimensions. Results were analyzed considering the Socio-Technical Systems Approach. Interviews were coded, analyzed for sentiment, and clustered into seven participant profiles based on coding similarities: “Optimists,” “Moderates,” “Dreamers,” “Cautious Skeptics,” “Expansionists,” “Knowledgeable,” and “Strategists.” Findings emphasize the importance of aligning technology and human needs to achieve successful AI integration. They also point to the value of well-defined guidelines, fair funding, and continuous professional development. By illustrating the spectrum of attitudes and readiness levels among academic stakeholders, this study offers key insights for policymakers, administrators, and educators seeking to embrace AI while preserving Ethical Principles and Decent Work standards.
Details
Sustainable Development;
Professional Autonomy;
Institutional Autonomy;
Copyrights;
Skill Obsolescence;
Stakeholders;
Educational Research;
Well Being;
Influence of Technology;
Educational Technology;
Systems Approach;
Labor;
Ethics;
Accountability;
Social Systems;
Work Environment;
Professional Development;
Artificial Intelligence;
Data Analysis;
Higher Education;
Participant Satisfaction
Higher education;
Collaboration;
Professional development;
Automation;
Privacy;
Ethics;
Ethical standards;
System theory;
Accountability;
Skills;
Workers;
Artificial intelligence;
Sustainable development;
Employees;
Transparency;
Well being;
Integrated approach;
Surveillance;
Learning;
Digital technology;
Teacher attitudes;
College professors;
Interviews;
Professional training;
Policy making;
Occupational roles;
Academic work;
Optimism;
Principles;
Educational systems;
Qualitative research;
Teachers;
Attitudes;
Academic achievement;
Academic writing;
Work environment;
Systems approach;
Standards;
Research applications;
Administrators
; Pais, Leonor 1
; Zijlstra, Fred R. H. 2
; Oswald, Frederick L. 3
; Santos, Nuno Rebelo dos 4
1 University of Coimbra, Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, Coimbra, Portugal (GRID:grid.8051.c) (ISNI:0000 0000 9511 4342)
2 Maastricht University, Department of Work & Social Psychology, Maastricht, The Netherlands (GRID:grid.5012.6) (ISNI:0000 0001 0481 6099)
3 Rice University, Department of Psychological Sciences, Houston, USA (GRID:grid.21940.3e) (ISNI:0000 0004 1936 8278)
4 Universidade de Évora, Research Centre in Education and Psychology (CIEP-UÉ), School of Social Sciences, Évora, Portugal (GRID:grid.8389.a) (ISNI:0000 0000 9310 6111)