Artificial Intelligence in higher education: the experiences and expectations of teachers of a regional university

Modern higher education is actively integrating artificial intelligence (AI) tools, which opens up new opportunities, but also raises serious questions for the academic community. The article examines the practices of using AI by VVSU teachers, their attitude towards technology, as well as factors influencing the perception of the usefulness of AI. The empirical basis was a survey of teachers, covering various disciplines: humanities, socio-economics, engineering, natural sciences, art and others. The analysis revealed the key areas of AI application. AI tools turned out to be most useful for technical disciplines (usefulness index 13.19), the least – for the humanities (11.93). The study emphasizes the need to develop digital competencies of teachers and create methodological support for the effective implementation of AI. The article contributes to the discussion on the role of AI in education, offering data for adapting pedagogical strategies to digital transformation, developing ethical standards, digital competence and critical thinking.