AI ETHICS AND INSTITUTIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY IN ALGERIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The integration of artificial intelligence technologies into educational systems has introduced profound governance challenges that demand careful ethical scrutiny and institutional preparedness. Algeria presents a particularly instructive case , a country navigating the pressures of digital modernization in education while working to align its national development ambitions with the growing imperatives of responsible AI deployment at the academic and pedagogical levels. This paper examines the state of AI governance within the Algerian educational context through a critical theoretical lens, analyzing the evolving relationship between the country's national digitalization strategy in education and the pressing need for a coherent, rights-based framework to guide AI integration across learning institutions. Drawing on institutional theory, the study explores how Algeria is positioned to develop regulatory and ethical approaches that reflect its specific educational realities, linguistic diversity, and pedagogical traditions. The paper argues that meaningful AI governance in Algerian education requires building locally grounded ethical frameworks that center student and teacher accountability, safeguard cultural and linguistic identity in learning environments, and ensure equitable access to AI-driven educational tools. This case enriches broader scholarly debates on AI governance across the Global South, offering the Algerian educational context as a meaningful lens through which universal ethical principles can be thoughtfully adapted to diverse national realities positioning Algeria as an active and sovereign contributor to global conversations on ethical AI in education .