Systematised evidence mapping of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) and digital divide phenomena in higher education

This systematic evidence mapping study maps and synthesises a small but growing body of empirical work exploring the crossroads between Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) technologies and digital equity concerns in diverse higher education settings. A comprehensive three-stage search methodology, following systematic identification procedures aligned with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA-ScR) standards, accessed and evaluated twelve included publications from 1 January 2023 to 30 January 2025 (including online-first articles available by that date). The review extends longstanding digital divide scholarship by focusing specifically on GenAI-related configurations of access, skills, and outcomes in the post-2022 period. Additional contextualisation was provided through selective analysis of the Trust in AI Report 2025 (University of Melbourne & KPMG), which surveyed public attitudes towards AI across 47 countries and examined how employees and students use and experience AI in work and education settings, and is treated here as sector-relevant background survey evidence rather than as an additional empirical strand of the review. Analysis reveals that whilst GenAI technologies demonstrate substantial educational potential, their implementation presents considerable equity implications that warrant systematic examination. Four key barriers to equitable adoption were identified: limited digital infrastructure and connectivity constraints, insufficient artificial intelligence literacy among stakeholders, economic barriers in terms of cost affordability and access costs, and the absence of inclusive, equity-focused institutional policies. Within the limited corpus, regional disparities were emphasised as being particularly severe, with Global South case studies identifying fundamental infrastructural constraints as primary barriers to effective technology integration. Contextual survey data from the Trust in AI Report also suggest gaps between confidence in GenAI uptake and institutional readiness in many jurisdictions, particularly in emerging economies, although these findings are not specific to the higher education sector. Findings indicate that without targeted interventions to incorporate infrastructure development, comprehensive literacy programs, access provisions, and inclusive policy frameworks, GenAI deployment has the potential to exacerbate rather than alleviate existing educational inequities in the contexts studied. This review identifies the main gaps in current research and makes review-derived recommendations to policymakers, higher education institutions, and practitioners to facilitate more equitable GenAI adoption in higher education environments.