Abstract:

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been one of the most transformative innovations in education. AI introduction has triggered an explosive discussion about how it will reshape the educational landscape (Miao & Holmes, 2021; Kayyali, 2024; Giannakos, et al, 2024).

Researchers extensively explore opportunities that AI brings to education (Holmes, Tuomi, 2022) for students, faculty, and universities. AI implementation in education encourages experts to adopt mostly optimistic perspective. However, AI also has a darker side. Thus, fair equal access to AI-driven education may be influenced by digital divide. There may be a high degree of dependence of the global South on the technologies of the global North. Unequal access to AI could result in significant negative consequences. While in the Global North, AI will positively transform various aspects of education, universities in the Global South may face limited access to these advancements, which potentially lead to a large gap in the quality of education.

The Just Transition approach helps us to develop a conceptual framework for the transition of education into the AI context (Galanis et al, 2025).

In education, the concept of Just Transition is explored to a much lesser extent in relation to specific aspects of education, such as the CCR Education Framework (Droubi et al, 2023) and education as a tool for just transitions (McGrath, & Deneulin, 2021). However, the concept of just transitions has hardly been considered in relation to the process of introducing AI into education and global educational inequality.

To summarise, previous literature has several gaps. Firstly, it focuses mainly on an optimistic approach to AI. Secondly, little attention is paid to the distribution of AI technology and the consequences of this distribution. The introduction of AI is rarely considered as a separate phenomenon, but rather as an innovation or digitalisation. Fourthly, there is almost no literature addressing the issue of just transitions in the process of AI adoption in education. In addition, there is a lack of comparative perspective, with North–South education being considered outside the global context and issues of equality.

To fill these gaps, this study explores the contrasting effects of AI on development of education for Global North and South through the lens of just transition perspective.

The paper utilises a case study approach (n=4) focused on the impact of AI on education at universities in the Global North and South. The study examines and compare structural inequalities, patterns of perception, access to AI technologies, digital infrastructure, financial accessibility, dependence on the technologies of Global North.

The study contributes by applying the Just Transition perspective to the process of AI adoption in education. Furthermore, most studies focus on the benefits and threats of AI implementation, however, do not look at the context of the Global South-North. Unlike the other research, this study aims to understand dark side of AI.

The results of the study allow educational managers to better understand the phenomenon of AI-driven education in terms of the Global North-South divide and to develop strategy for a closer cooperation between the South and the North. For governments, this study offers a foundation to design measures to reduce the gap and overcome structural inequalities.

Keywords:

AI-Driven Education, Global North-South Divide, Just Transition.