Perceived Barriers of Gen AI Integration in Entrepreneurship Education

Abstract

Generative AI can enhance venture creation education, yet faculty adoption remains limited. This study explores why through a three-stage mixed-methods approach. Stage 1 reviewed 2020–25 literature to identify 23 barriers across pedagogical, technical, institutional, and ethical domains. Stage 2 involved interviews with experienced entrepreneurship educators, refining and reducing the list to 15 context-specific challenges. Stage 3 used a fuzzy-DEMATEL survey to capture expert causal judgments, while thematic coding of interviews added narrative depth. The resulting influence map highlights a clear hierarchy: lack of staff training, unclear governance, and weak technical support are key upstream barriers, while concerns like plagiarism and over-reliance are downstream effects. Cluster analysis groups drivers into pedagogical, organisational, and infrastructural clusters, suggesting a phased response: begin with training and transparent policy, then invest in tools and assessments.