Exploring school leaders’ perceptions of using an artificial intelligence tool for management tasks: Empirical evidence from Cyprus

Research on artificial intelligence (AI) in education has primarily focused on teaching and learning, with limited information on school leadership. This study explores school leaders’ perceptions of the potential and aspirational uses of AI tools to support managerial tasks in Cyprus, a highly centralised education system. Data were collected through interviews with 43 primary and secondary school leaders, selected via random sampling. Findings reveal that AI tools could assist in decision-making, administrative task support, operational efficiency, data processing, scenario planning, and communication. These insights highlight the potential role of AI in supporting school leaders’ managerial tasks in Cyprus. The study contributes to filling a gap in the literature by examining how school leaders perceive AI's role in their practice and provides implications for professional development, policy frameworks, and future context-specific research on AI integration in school leadership. This study does not capture constraints and potential limitations of AI tools, which should be assessed in future research.