Ethical Integration of AI and STEAM Pedagogies in Higher Education: A Sustainable Learning Model for Society 5.0

Alma Delia Torres-Rivera (), Andrea Alejandra Rendón Peña, Sofía Teresa Díaz-Torres and Laura Alma Díaz-Torres
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Alma Delia Torres-Rivera: Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Energía y Movilidad (UPIEM), Mexico City 07738, Mexico
Andrea Alejandra Rendón Peña: Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Unidad Profesional Interdisciplinaria de Energía y Movilidad (UPIEM), Mexico City 07738, Mexico
Sofía Teresa Díaz-Torres: Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE), Mexico City 01210, Mexico
Laura Alma Díaz-Torres: Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Escuela Superior de Medicina (ESM), Mexico City 11340, Mexico

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-37

Abstract: In the face of environmental degradation, social inequality, and technological change—acknowledged as defining challenges of the 21st century—Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) lead educational innovation, integrate sustainability as a transformative axis, and act as key actors in global responses. This study develops and validates a conceptual model that advances the goals of Society 5.0 through the integration of sustainability-oriented STEAM education and AI ethics as strategic drivers of a human-centered, socially inclusive, and technologically relevant learning ecosystem. The model rests on multidisciplinary and project-based learning and active engagement with society and industry. Its validation followed a Design Science Research approach supported by expert interviews, the Sustainable Classroom implementation, and international benchmarking with higher education cases from Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Australia, Uruguay, and the European Union. The combination of the constant comparison method of grounded theory with abductive reasoning ensured theoretical coherence and practical consistency. Triangulation across interviews, classroom implementation, and international cases reinforced robustness, while theoretical saturation, cross-validation, and reflexive safeguards strengthened credibility, controlled bias, and secured data management. Findings confirm that the ethical integration of advanced technologies strengthens citizenship, ecological literacy, and institutional innovation, and establishes a replicable and scalable framework that reorients higher education toward sustainability, ethics, and digital equity, positioning it as a cornerstone of education for Society 5.0 and as a global benchmark for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Keywords: ethical artificial intelligence; multidisciplinary learning; project-based learning; Society 5.0; STEAM; sustainable higher education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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