Artificial Intelligence in Leadership Educational: Two Decades of Insights from a Scopus-Based Bibliometric Study

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a transformative force in leadership practices, particularly within education, over the past two decades. However, the integration of AI into leadership remains an under-explored area, with existing literature mainly focusing on AI’s application in technology and education without fully addressing its implications for leadership development. This study aims to bridge this gap by offering a bibliometric analysis of AI in leadership research, focusing on trends, emerging themes, and the interdisciplinary application of AI technologies in leadership. The contribution of this research lies in its comprehensive bibliometric overview, providing insights into the evolving relationship between AI and leadership. It offers a conceptual framework that can guide future research on the integration of AI into leadership practices, particularly in educational and organizational settings.

A bibliometric approach was applied to analyze literature indexed in the Scopus database between 2005 and 2023. The study involved keyword co-occurrence, citation analysis, and the identification of core themes and sources. The findings highlight a growing body of literature focusing on AI’s potential to enhance leadership competencies, particularly in educational contexts. Key emerging themes include AI ethics, generative AI, and leadership analytics. The research also identified that AI leadership studies are concentrated in a few core journals, with a noticeable rise in the focus on AI’s human-centered applications. This study provides a structured analysis of AI in leadership, offering valuable insights for future research. It emphasizes the need for further exploration of AI's ethical considerations in leadership, particularly through expanding research into additional databases and interdisciplinary sectors.