Understanding AI Perception in Higher Education: A TAM-Based Approach from Uzbekistan

Abstract

As artificial intelligence (AI) technologies increasingly penetrate the field of education, understanding how students perceive and use them has become a critical area of research. This study investigates students’ attitudes toward the integration of AI into academic practices at a technical university in Uzbekistan. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the research focuses on three key constructs: perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), and behavioral intention to use AI (BI). A total of 161 undergraduate students from the Faculty of Professional Education in ICT at Tashkent University of Information Technologies (TUIT) participated in an anonymous online survey. The results indicate a generally positive perception of AI among students, with high average scores for PU (5.61) and PEOU (5.65) on a 7-point Likert scale. Although the BI score (5.47) was also high, its wider distribution indicates greater variability in students’ readiness to continue using AI. The findings align with global trends in AI adoption and underscore the importance of ethical guidance and digital literacy in fostering responsible AI integration in higher education.