Artificial intelligence facilitators in higher education institutions: A student-centric exploration with comparative analysis in Asian countries

The rapid pace of digital transformation and innovation has significantly driven the growth of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Over the past two years, AI has taken a prominent role due to its effectiveness and productivity thereby infiltrating all sectors, including the education sector. Despite growing interest in AI in education, most research focuses on technological aspects and educators' views, with limited exploration of students' attitudes toward AI adoption. The role of psychological factors, particularly fear, in influencing students' intentions to use AI in higher education remains underexamined, especially across cultures. This study employs the Tripartite Model of Attitudes and the Technology Acceptance Model to assess the intentions of Higher Education Institution (HEI) students regarding AI use, considering fear as a moderating factor in AI integration into education. Structural equation model was employed to assess the proposed research model's predictive capacity, and a comparison was drawn between two Asian countries to paint a bigger picture of AI utilization in Asia HEIs. The study found a positive relationship between students' attitudes towards AI and the usefulness and ease of communication of AI-F, which had a positive influence on their attitude towards AI-F and intention to adopt it. Meanwhile, the results reveal that fear has no significant moderating impact on the attitude toward AI-F and intention to adopt it. These findings serve as valuable insights for HEIs on managing AI usage, exposing, and preparing students for AI usage in the future while recommending good practices for optimizing the learning process.