Policy and Practice in the Ethical Deployment of Artificial Intelligence for Interdisciplinary STEAM Education in Nigeria

The rapid integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education holds transformative potential for Nigeria's learning landscape, yet it raises profound ethical challenges including bias amplification, data privacy breaches, and equitable access disparities. This study investigated the interplay between policy frameworks and practical deployment strategies for ethical AI in Nigerian STEAM curricula, drawing from a descriptive research design which included Nigerian policy analysis of national digital education guidelines and data from 287 principals in all the public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. A census sampling technique was adopted and a validated researcher-structured questionnaire was employed for data collection. The questionnaire was trial tested and a reliability index of 0.87 was obtained. Mean and standard deviation were conducted to answer research questions while z-test was used to test null hypotheses. Findings revealed that critical gaps exist in policies in terms of the absence of AI-specific ethical audits and inclusive training mandates as well as contextually grounded model for ethical AI deployment. The study emphasized culturally responsive algorithms, teacher upskilling, and multi-stakeholder governance to foster equitable, innovative STEAM education as these efforts will help bridge policy rhetoric with classroom practice. The study further advocated for legislative reforms and Nigerian-tailored interventions to harness AI's benefits without exacerbating Nigeria's already widened digital divide. It was recommended amongst others that government at all levels, as well as private sector stakeholders and development partners, should significantly increase investment in school-level technological infrastructure.