Mapping artificial intelligence research in higher education toward sustainable development

Abstract The rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has had a profound impact on higher education (HE), fundamentally changing teaching, learning, research and academic management. Although there have been many studies on the application of AI in HE, the number of works that systematize and map global science, and connect it to the sustainable development (SD) agenda, is still limited. In this context, the aim of this study is to fill the gap through bibliometric analysis of 635 peer-reviewed scientific articles indexed in the Scopus database up to February 2025, focusing on the keywords “AI”, “higher education” and limiting the search field specifically to sources of “Social sciences”, “Psychology” and “Arts and Humanities”. Using VOSviewer tool, the study conducted co-occurrence, co-citation, and bibliographic linkage analysis to clarify publication trends, countries, authors, influential journals as well as emerging research topics. The findings show the existence of three phases of research development on AI in HE (2007–2018, 2019–2022 and 2023–2025) and eight main thematic clusters, with recent years highlighting Generative AI, academic integrity and education policy. The countries with the strongest influence and stable position on the academic map are noted as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia. In addition, the study also found a rise in the academic influence of some emerging countries such as Singapore and Malaysia compared to traditional leaders such as China and Saudi Arabia, reflecting a shift in the global knowledge landscape and an emphasis on quality over quantity. The study introduces the “AI-HE-SDGs” analytical framework, which conceptualizes AI not merely as a technological tool but also as a strategic catalyst for fostering a sustainable, ethical, and inclusive HE system. This framework aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDG 4, SDG 9, and SDG 16.