ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TOOLS IN EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABILITY: ALIGNING AI-ENHANCED EDUCATION WITH THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Abstract

This study examined the extent to which artificial intelligence (AI)-enhanced educational practices in Bayelsa State universities align with, and contribute to, the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), which commits to inclusive, equitable, and quality education. Anchored on the Technology Acceptance Model and Connectivism, the study adopted a correlational (ex post facto) survey design involving 350 respondents, comprising 75 lecturers and 275 students, drawn through a multistage sampling procedure from five universities. Data were collected using a researcher-designed instrument, the AI-Enhanced Education and SDG Alignment Questionnaire (AIESAQ), and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, Simple Linear Regression, and Hierarchical Moderated Regression. Findings revealed a moderate, positive, and statistically significant relationship between AI tool adoption and indicators of educational access and equity (r = 0.533, p < .001). AI literacy was also found to significantly and positively predict the perceived quality of AI-enhanced learning outcomes (β = 0.481, p < .001), accounting for approximately 23.2% of the variance. Furthermore, institutional readiness and infrastructural support significantly moderated the relationship between AI-enhanced education and SDG-aligned sustainability outcomes (ΔR² = 0.015, p = .021), although this construct recorded the weakest overall rating among the three variables examined. The study concludes that AI adoption and literacy are advancing ahead of institutional and infrastructural readiness, and that this lag constitutes the principal constraint on realising AI's full sustainability potential within Nigerian universities. Recommendations include the development of clear institutional AI-use policies, targeted infrastructural investment, and structured AI literacy training for lecturers and students.