Adoption Barriers and Readiness of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education Institutions

  • Unique Paper ID: 194401
  • PageNo: 3841-3855
  • Abstract:
  • The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence has created significant opportunities for transforming teaching, learning, research, and administrative functions within higher education institutions. Despite its transformative potential, the adoption of AI remains uneven and constrained by multiple structural, technological, organizational, and ethical challenges. This study examines the key barriers hindering AI integration in higher education and assesses the institutional readiness required for effective implementation. Drawing upon established theoretical perspectives such as the Technology Organization Environment framework and innovation diffusion theory, the paper develops an integrated conceptual model that links adoption barriers with readiness dimensions, including digital infrastructure maturity, leadership commitment, policy frameworks, faculty competency, and data governance capacity. The analysis highlights that technological limitations alone do not determine adoption outcomes; rather, organizational culture, regulatory clarity, financial sustainability, and human capital preparedness play equally decisive roles. The findings underscore the need for strategic planning, targeted capacity building, and robust governance mechanisms to facilitate responsible and sustainable AI adoption. By synthesizing existing scholarship and proposing a structured readiness framework, the study contributes to institutional decision-making and policy formulation aimed at advancing AI-enabled transformation in higher education.

Copyright & License

Copyright © 2026 Authors retain the copyright of this article. This article is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

BibTeX

@article{194401,
        author = {Dr. Kismat Chhillar and Dr. Deepak Tomar and Dr. Sunil Trivedi},
        title = {Adoption Barriers and Readiness of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education Institutions},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {12},
        number = {10},
        pages = {3841-3855},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=194401},
        abstract = {The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence has created significant opportunities for transforming teaching, learning, research, and administrative functions within higher education institutions. Despite its transformative potential, the adoption of AI remains uneven and constrained by multiple structural, technological, organizational, and ethical challenges. This study examines the key barriers hindering AI integration in higher education and assesses the institutional readiness required for effective implementation. Drawing upon established theoretical perspectives such as the Technology Organization Environment framework and innovation diffusion theory, the paper develops an integrated conceptual model that links adoption barriers with readiness dimensions, including digital infrastructure maturity, leadership commitment, policy frameworks, faculty competency, and data governance capacity. The analysis highlights that technological limitations alone do not determine adoption outcomes; rather, organizational culture, regulatory clarity, financial sustainability, and human capital preparedness play equally decisive roles. The findings underscore the need for strategic planning, targeted capacity building, and robust governance mechanisms to facilitate responsible and sustainable AI adoption. By synthesizing existing scholarship and proposing a structured readiness framework, the study contributes to institutional decision-making and policy formulation aimed at advancing AI-enabled transformation in higher education.},
        keywords = {Artificial Intelligence, Higher Education, Adoption Barriers, Institutional Readiness, Digital Transformation, AI Governance.},
        month = {March},
        }

Cite This Article

Chhillar, D. K., & Tomar, D. D., & Trivedi, D. S. (2026). Adoption Barriers and Readiness of Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education Institutions. International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology (IJIRT), 12(10), 3841–3855.

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