Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly transforming higher education by offering innovative solutions to improve academic support and personalized learning. Among these technologies, AI-based virtual tutors have emerged as promising educational tools capable of providing immediate assistance, adaptive feedback, and continuous support to students. However, little empirical research has examined the factors influencing students' acceptance of these systems in developing countries such as Morocco.
This study aims to investigate university students' perceptions of AI-based virtual tutors and identify the factors influencing their intention to use these technologies for academic support, based on the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM).
A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 224 university students in Morocco using a structured questionnaire. The instrument collected data on demographic characteristics, familiarity with AI tools, academic support needs, perceived usefulness of AI-based virtual tutors, and intention to use. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha, Pearson correlation, Chi-square tests, independent-samples t-tests, and one-way ANOVA.
The findings reveal that students generally hold positive perceptions of AI-based virtual tutors and recognize their value for facilitating access to educational resources, supporting exam preparation, providing rapid responses, and promoting self-paced learning. The perceived usefulness scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.904). A strong positive correlation was found between perceived usefulness and intention to use AI-based virtual tutors (r = 0.757, p < 0.001), while familiarity with AI tools was also significantly associated with students' intention to use these systems. No significant differences were observed according to gender or level of study.
The study concludes that AI-based virtual tutors have strong potential to complement traditional academic support in Moroccan higher education. The findings provide empirical evidence supporting the applicability of the Technology Acceptance Model in explaining students' acceptance of AI-based virtual tutors and offer practical insights for universities seeking to integrate AI-powered educational technologies.
