Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and the European Higher Education Area (EHEA): reimagining equity in the university classroom

Abstract

By late 2022, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) chatbots had gained significant traction and began raising questions about their impact on education. While technological advancements might appear objective and free from human bias due to their calculated precision, they often inherit the partialities embedded in their training data, which tend to reflect the inequities already present in society (Vicente and Matute, 2023). In the process towards a more diverse and inclusive technological society, the role and accountability of universities is essential. Biases related to racism, LGBTQ+phobia, xenophobia, sexism, or ableism can inadvertently seep into the educational process, negatively affecting students’ learning experiences. It is crucial for educators to recognize the potential dangers these technologies pose in the pursuit of a more equitable society and discrimination-free educational environments. Notwithstanding, AI-based tools also hold immense potential in enhancing the transmission of knowledge. This article explores the dual role of GenAI in higher education, particularly in addressing issues of multiculturalism and racial discrimination in the European university classroom. It studies GenAI’s potential to hinder and/or contribute to equity and casts light upon GenAI’s ability to help lecturers and students overcome prejudice. This article employs a qualitative integrative review methodology, synthesizing current scholarship on algorithmic bias with a critical policy analysis of the European Parliament’s 2024 AI Act and recent Eurydice reports (2022, 2023). This dual-layered approach allows for the identification of systemic gaps between macro-legal frameworks and micro-pedagogical needs in multicultural European Higher Education Area (EHEA) classrooms. Finally, the article proposes a series of challenges and considerations that universities must take into account when welcoming GenAI into their spaces.