Using AI to Develop Capabilities in Arab Universities

This chapter delves into the potential benefits and challenges of using artificial intelligence (AI) tools, specifically ChatGPT, to improve learning and research capabilities in Arab universities. The chapter argues that the Arab higher education sector faces unique challenges, and integrating AI into the academy can help address some of these challenges. A situated learning approach is used to emphasize the need for students to apply what they learn in the same context where they learned it, moving away from the traditional view of learning as just memorizing information. Theoretically, the chapter draws on the capability approach to evaluate the specific benefits of AI in the higher education sector. The capability approach, developed by Amartya Sen, is a people-centered approach that focuses on what people are truly capable of doing and becoming. In the context of the Arab higher education sector, the chapter argues that using the capability approach can help evaluate the outcomes and benefits of AI integration, rather than relying on access metrics alone. Overall, the chapter argues that integrating AI tools like ChatGPT into Arab universities may enhance critical thinking and digital skills, helping students acquire skills that cannot easily be outsourced or automated and increasing their chances of success in the labor market.