Reshaping Higher Education in MENA with Generative AI

The appearance of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has led to a paradigm shift in education worldwide, positioning the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region between traditional pedagogy and technological innovations. To further explore this region's educational practices with generative AI, this chapter conducted a systematic review of research articles published between 2022 and 2024 on the MENA's integration of generative AI in higher education. Using qualitative thematic analysis, four major themes emerged: positive perceptions despite the lack of training, AI-assisted pedagogy, inevitable innovation reshaping educational norms, and challenges identified for successful generative AI integration. Despite the generative AI adoption in the MENA region, these implementations, still in the early stage, face several challenges that reflect the complexities of integrating generative AI in a region fraught with contextual hurdles and accustomed to traditional pedagogical practices, especially in under-resourced contexts. The chapter concludes with pedagogical implications.