ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE FUTURE OF THE PROFESSORIATE: A STUDY OF THE IMPACT OF AI ON FACULTY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the responsibilities of faculty members at universities in Pakistan. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study explored the changes in teaching, research, and administrative responsibilities driven by the integration of AI technologies. The study was carried out in the years 2024-2025 at five public and private universities in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. Two hundred and fifty faculty members responded to the structured questionnaires and twenty department heads and senior professors were interviewed for qualitative data. For quantitative data analysis, SPSS was used to apply descriptive statistics, correlational analysis, and regression analysis. The qualitative data were transcribed and thematically coded and analyzed. The study demonstrated that AI impacted teaching the most, with 68% of faculty participants indicating a shift in the ways courses were delivered. While there was a moderate increase in research output, the enhancement of administrative functions was considerably greater. The most prominent challenges were lack of preparation and training, insufficient tech-infrastructure, and a lack of willingness to embrace change. The study also found that attitudes toward AI technologies differed by discipline, with faculty in STEM fields more positively inclined than those in the humanities. As a minimum, the findings of the study suggest the need for institutions to put mechanisms in place to assist the shift.