Harnessing Generative AI to Transform Education: Balancing Human Intelligence and Machine Contribution to Mitigate Plagiarism

As educational systems continue to evolve amidst technological advancements and shifting pedagogical paradigms, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) has emerged as a transformative tool likely to balance human intelligence and machine contribution in both teaching and learning. This study examines this potential by focusing on three (3) departments, Business Administration, Accounting, and Economics within a private university in Southwest Nigeria. These departments were purposively selected based on their high level of technology integration, their foundational role in business-related disciplines, and their willingness to participate in the study. Grounded in Constructivist Learning Theory and Socio-Constructivist Theory, the study adopts a quantitative survey design. Data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to 333 respondents comprising students (74.5%), lecturers (20.4%), and administrators (5.1%), and analyzed using descriptive statistics based on a five-point Likert scale. The results reveal high awareness and moderate utilization of generative AI, with 80.6% indicating familiarity and 69.3% reporting frequent or occasional use. Findings show strong support for AI’s role in enhancing constructivist learning, with mean scores above 3.8 for self-directed learning, personalized pacing, independent knowledge construction, and improved understanding of complex concepts. AI was also viewed as moderately effective in promoting socio-constructivist learning, with 69.8% agreeing it facilitates knowledge sharing and 66.2% affirming inclusive participation, though only 52.4% felt it strengthened interpersonal connections. Notably, 86.1% emphasized the need for balanced integration of human judgment and AI, while 79.3% expressed concern about overreliance weakening critical thinking. Responsibly integrated, generative AI offers engaging, inclusive, effective learning environments