Mapping the Evidence Around the Use of AI-powered Tools in South African Universities: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education is rapidly expanding on a global scale, transforming the realms of teaching, learning, and administrative functions. In this regard, this systematic scoping review seeks to map the current evidence regarding the implementation of AI-powered tools within South African universities. This systematic scoping review was carried out in accordance with the framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. An advanced literature search was conducted in the following databases Sabinet African Journal = 65m, Web of Science = 841, Emerald Insight = 417, Science Direct = 30, EbscoHost = 254, and Google Scholar = 3,470. The identified articles were uploaded to Rayyan software for initial screening. We assessed their relevance by analysing the titles and abstracts. After applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria to the articles obtained from the database search, 11 papers were selected for the study.  Notably, three themes were identified following a thematic analysis and these includes the usage of AI-powered tools in South African universities; the challenges connected with using these technologies as well as the strategies required to address these challenges. This systematic scoping review highlights a significant rise in AI tool adoption in South African higher education, noting their benefits in enhancing academic support and efficiency. However, it also raises concerns about ethical issues such as increased cheating, unequal access to technology, infrastructural challenges, and data insecurity.