AI-powered chatbots hold great promise for enhancing learning experiences and outcomes in today's rapidly evolving education system. However, despite the increasing demand for such technologies, there remains a significant research gap regarding the factors influencing users' acceptance and adoption of AI-powered chatbots in educational contexts. This study aims to address this gap by investigating the factors that shape users' attitudes, intentions, and behaviors towards adopting ChatGPT for smart education systems. This research employed a quantitative research approach, data were collected from 458 of participants through a structured questionnaire designed to measure various constructs related to technology acceptance, including perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, feedback quality, assessment quality, subject norms, attitude towards use, and behavioral intention to use ChatGPT. Structural model analysis (SEM) Statistical techniques were then utilized to examine the relationships between these constructs. The findings of the study revealed that Perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness emerged as significant predictors of users' attitudes towards ChatGPT for smart education. Additionally, feedback quality, assessment quality, and subject norms were found to positively influence users' behavioral intentions to use ChatGPT for smart educational purposes. Moreover, users' attitudes towards use and behavioral intentions were significantly proved for the actual adoption of ChatGPT. However, a few hypotheses, such as the relationship between trust in ChatGPT and perceived usefulness, were not supported by the data. This study contributes to the existing body information systems applications for the determining factor of technology acceptance in smart education context.

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies has led to a transformation in higher education worldwide. AI tools provide academic support to students anywhere and anytime to enhance their knowledge and skills. Those facing difficulties have been relying on traditional support and guidance. However, this support has experienced difficulties, including availability and accessibility. This study examines the potential of AI-powered tools to address these challenges, aiming to make academic support more accessible, efficient, and effective. This study focuses on understanding the determinants of AI tools' acceptance and use for academic support among students, influencing student satisfaction and academic performance in Pakistan and Malaysia. The research on AI tool acceptance and use in the higher education Institutions (HEI) context is still new and less explored in Pakistani and Malaysian higher education institutions. A theoretical model based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) and other factors was employed to identify factors that affect AI tool adoption in higher education. The survey research design was employed, and the total sample size was 305 respondents, with 203 students from Quaid-e-Awam University of Science and Technology (QUEST), Pakistan, and 102 students from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). A “Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) Analysis” was employed to assess the research model and hypotheses using SmartPls 4.0. In Pakistan and Malaysia, students are more concerned about using AI tools to improve their academic performance. The findings indicated that performance and effort expectancy, information accuracy of AI tools, pedagogical fit to meet the student’s expectations, and student interaction with tools were important factors in predicting the acceptance and use of AI tools among students of both countries in higher education, and the rising use of these AI tools has improved students’ satisfaction levels and significantly impacted students learning outcomes in both countries. Additionally, student engagement and personal innovativeness have not significantly affected the use of AI tools among students in both countries. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of AI tool adoption in the unique contexts of Pakistan and Malaysia, contributing to the broader discourse on technology integration in higher education.

This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the acceptance of mobile learning technology for 21st-century skills-based training among teachers in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. This study adopted the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model, which included constructs such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, social influence, mobile self-efficacy, student self-efficacy, behavioural intention, 21st-century skills-based training, and creative thinking skills. A survey was conducted with 619 teachers from Saudi Arabia and Pakistan who participated in a two-week mobile learning-based training session. The data were analysed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that all hypotheses were supported, indicating a positive relationship between the constructs and the acceptance and use of mobile learning technology for 21st-century skills-based training. This study’s findings suggest that by emphasising factors such as performance expectancy, effort expectancy, facilitating conditions, social influence, mobile self-efficacy, and student self-efficacy when designing mobile learning interventions, teachers will be more likely to accept and use mobile learning technology for 21st-century skills-based training and contributed to sustainability by providing increased access to quality education.

Gamification and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have transformed the educational environment, offering innovative approaches to enhance student engagement and learning outcomes. By using the power of gamification and AI, educators can create immersive, personalized, and interactive learning experiences that increase motivation, participation, and academic achievement. This study investigates the relationships between gamification, artificial intelligence, student engagement, and achievement in educational contexts. A quantitative approach was employed, combining online surveys and structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis with 290 students from Malaysia. SEM analysis was performed using SmartPLS 4 software. The findings reveal significant positive relationships between gamification and student achievement, gamification and student engagement, gamification and artificial intelligence, and AI with both student engagement and achievement. Furthermore, student engagement was found to influence student achievement positively. The study’s implications suggest that educators and instructional designers should adopt these technologies to create intelligent, interactive, and personalized learning environments. Future research directions include exploring long-term effects and contextual factors influencing student outcomes to promote student success in the digital age.

Digital technologies have revolutionized the business field, offering significant opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to enhance sustainability and value creation. This study investigates the impact of digital technology adoption on economic and social value creation, as well as SME performance. Specifically, it examines how social media applications, big data analytics, IoT applications, blockchain applications, and AI-enabled applications influence economic and social value within SMEs. We employed a hybrid approach integrating Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) techniques using SmartPLs 4.0 Application; this research analyzes these relationships. For our analysis, data were collected from 305 SME managers operating in Upper Sindh, Pakistan, specifically from major cities like Sukkur, Larkana, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, and Khairpur. The findings reveal that social media applications, big data analytics, IoT applications, and blockchain applications significantly contribute to both economic and social value creation for SMEs. Conversely, AI-enabled applications show no significant impact on value creation. Importantly, economic and social value creation positively correlates with enhanced SME performance. This study enriches our understanding of how digital technologies influence SMEs in Pakistan, particularly in enhancing economic and social value creation. Through advanced methodologies and rigorous analysis, it bridges theory with practical applications in SMEs’ digital transformation.

The COVID-19 epidemic has not only triggered a worldwide health catastrophe, it has also affected learning processes all over the world. While COVID-19 was in its initial wave of transmission, educational systems around the world witnessed bitter experiences in the form of the closure of institutes or a shift to distance (or online) learning techniques. The delivery of quality education was affected the most where the educational system was already weak due to the unavailability of effective teachers’ professional development programs and the lack of the integration of technology. This study extends the conventional continuous professional development (CPD) model of in-service teachers adopted in the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The extensions are based on the integration of mobile technology and support for collaborative learning and ongoing assistance, which are missed in the current traditional model. To assess the acceptance and use of the app, an Mobile collaborative learning (MCL) based CPD acceptance framework is designed by combining chosen components from a generally recognized Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT2) and other well-recognized acceptance models for the acceptance and use of the technology. In the context of CPD, a total of 14 constructs have been selected which include performance expectancy; effort expectancy; facilitating conditions; hedonic motivation; mobility; knowledge acquisition; content and information quality; on-the-job support; reward; behavioral intention; engagement; interactivity with peer & experts; self-management and collaborative learning. Based on these constructs; a total of 13 hypotheses were developed with 55 measurement items. A total of 494 teachers participated in a two-week training session using the designed app. Based on the activity, a questionnaire was designed and distributed among the participants using WhatsApp groups during the academic year of 2021–2022. Out of 494 participants; 472 participants correctly filled in the questionnaires, which were selected for analysis. The data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 21; and, for Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis, IBM AMOS version 21 was used. According to the results, all thirteen hypotheses were found statistically significant showing the positive impact on the acceptance and use of the CPD app. The results of this study promote teachers’ and experts’ engagement and participation in CPD activities which not only improve the knowledge and skills of the learners but also impact their long-term professional development and success. This research may help the teachers’ training and related institutions to make better choices and develop a mobile collaborative learning system for school-based teacher support and training programs. As a basis, this study may also be used in other provinces of Pakistan and beyond to make it a CPD standard.