As the forerunners of ideas and revolutionising practices that influence everyday life, South African universities now face the risk of lagging behind in the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution without additional investments.
AI is increasingly becoming a transformative tool at South African universities, and a recent study by UWC Prof Anass Bayaga highlighted the barriers to making the most of AI.
Adopting AI
Recognised as a distinguished academic specialising in neuro-cognitive enhancement of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM) and human-computer interaction, Bayaga’s latest research explores factors influencing AI-adoption among students and academic staff.
With this research, he managed to provide insights that could influence advancements in higher education.
The study, titled Leveraging AI-enhanced and emerging technologies for pedagogical innovations in higher education, gathered data through comprehensive surveys, capturing perspectives from students and academic staff across South African institutions.
Using established theoretical frameworks, Bayaga examined how individuals perceive artificial intelligence technologies and their intentions to adopt these tools.
He argues: “AI is not just a tool for efficiency; it has the potential to democratise knowledge; it is a catalyst for transformation in education, bridging gaps and creating opportunities for inclusive innovation.”
Universities challenged
The study highlights these challenges faced by South African universities in the AI revolution:
- Technological readiness: Many SA universities lack the advanced technological infrastructure to support AI applications.
- Maintenance and upgrades: Existing infrastructure at SA universities often requires significant upgrades and ongoing maintenance to be compatible with AI technologies.
- Integration Challenges: Integrating AI systems with existing educational platforms and databases can be complex.
- Resource allocation: Limited financial and human resources can hinder the development and deployment of necessary infrastructure.
- Scalability issues: Ensuring that the infrastructure at SA universities can scale to accommodate growing numbers of users and increasing data volumes is a challenge.
Bayaga believes that by addressing barriers to AI adoption, “we can ensure that technology empowers rather than excludes, paving the way for equitable and impactful educational advancements”.
While universities must overcome these and other obstacles to make the most of AI, the study’s findings also highlight attitudes towards AI in higher education. And there are further disparities between men and women when adopting AI.
Gender differences
Findings of gender differences in the adoption of AI technologies in higher education included:
- Behavioural intention: Both men and women showed a positive behavioural intention to use AI, but the factors influencing this intention can differ.
- Performance expectancy: Men are more likely to adopt AI if they believe it will enhance their performance.
- Effort expectancy: Women are more likely to adopt AI if they perceive it as easy to use.
- Facilitating Conditions: Both genders consider facilitating conditions, such as available resources and support, but these have a minimal impact on their overall intention to use AI.
The study suggests that tailored strategies addressing these gender-specific factors could enhance AI adoption rates among both men and women in higher education.
AI in law faculty
At UWC, AI is already being used effectively as a teaching and learning tool. One example is how UWC law uses generative AI in legal education.
According to related UWC news, the UWC plagiarism policy advises the faculty but also contributes to faculty-specific guidelines for law students who need to approach AI technology in a nuanced and balanced way.
Law faculty teaching and learning specialist Dr Conrad Potberg said that maintaining academic integrity is central to using AI.
“We’re more concerned about integrity and the academic programme in the faculty. Students tend to use AI just to solve problems quickly. We’re not opposed to AI in the faculty, but we’re opposed to using the AI’s results exactly as is without actually verifying the information that’s been provided,” Potberg explained.
The benefits of AI in law lectures are, however, clear.
It has proven to assist students to grasp case law, legal texts, contract drafting and legal definitions. Importantly, Potberg cautions that students need to learn how to use AI and Chatbots effectively and consider only using them as a starting point to enhance their learning, not as the result of their work.
As AI’s role is increasingly playing a critical role in research at South African universities, especially in fields like healthcare, engineering and data science, many researchers use AI for predictive modelling, big data analysis and simulations. This has the potential to advance studies that address local challenges such as climate change, public health and infrastructure development, if used ethically and responsibly
