The landscape of AI in Education and Research: Knowledge Users Perspectives

Fizzah Khalid Butt and Anjeela Khurram
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Fizzah Khalid Butt: Pakistan Institute of Development Economics
Anjeela Khurram: Pakistan Institute of Development Economics

No 2026:1, PIDE-Working Papers from Pakistan Institute of Development Economics

Abstract: The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in all walks of life, notably in education and academic research domain has driven a revolutionary transformation globally, and Pakistan is no exception. AI with its revolutionary drive has opened various untapped avenues for academicians and practitioners, posing certain ethical threats at the same time. The education sector, particularly the higher education sector and the research domain, has now been highly influenced by the use of generative AI and its applications. One strand of research posits that over-reliance on AI use has been crippling the ability of critical thinking of researchers by impacting their cognitive abilities, thus facilitating AI assisted cheating and raising ethical issues, whereas the other mentions that AI as an assistant helps get strenuous tasks done easily. The exploratory two-tier research approach employed in this study aims to address these concerns. The study explores the situation of AI in Pakistani Education system by conducting two Focus Group Discussions with the academics, students and AI specialists. Based on the FGDs, key themes were emerged and they were further triangulated by doing a descriptive survey with the academics and students. The study concludes AI can be a useful partner, if used ethically and in an observant manner. The study stresses upon the capacity building activities and trainings for the usage of AI and generative AI.

Keywords: AI; Education Sector; Pakistan; Research (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 25
Date: 2026
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