Analysis of the evolution of artificial intelligence as a key tool in digital education

The Ukrainian educational system has experience of the digital quicker uptake by two significant crises in the country that occurred in the year 2019-2025 as compared to the rest of the world. The study examines how AI and Generative AI GenAI) have been adopted and adapted within the Ukrainian educational context across multiple crisis phases between 2019 and 2025. A longitudinal mixed-methods was used for the study. A total of 200 university instructors in Ukrainian higher education was selected for survey while 20 participants was selected for interview using purposive sampling technique. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected using interviews and structured online questionnaires respectively. The result showed that AI tools in education increased steadily and significantly between 2019 and 2025. AI adoption factors changes from technical (4.32 ± 0.58) to contextual (4.32 ± 0.58) over time. There is a significant difference in AI/GenAI adoption and motivation across the crisis’s phases (p < 0.05) with a partial η² value of 0.162 and 0.125 respectively. AI-LMS platforms, Adaptive Learning Systems and GenAI are the most adaptable to the Ukrainian context. The result showed that language barriers, infrastructure limitations, and resource availability were statistically significant challenges of AI adoption (p