Artificial intelligence adoption among Swiss adult educators: usage patterns, determinants, barriers, and perceptions

This cross-sectional survey of 123 Swiss adult education educators (August–October 2025) examined AI adoption, barriers, and perceptions. AI tool use is widespread in this non-probability sample (82.1% report active use), and usage frequency is primarily associated with educators’ self-reported AI knowledge rather than demographic characteristics. Educators are largely optimistic about artificial intelligence’s potential to support their work. However, they report substantial constraints, most notably privacy and security concerns and limited perceived institutional support. Reported benefits centre on efficiency-oriented applications (e.g., lesson preparation), indicating that, in this sample, AI use is driven more by productivity gains than by deeper pedagogical integration. Simultaneously, concerns are pronounced, particularly regarding potential impacts on learners’ critical thinking. These findings indicate a sector poised for broader AI adoption yet still reporting institutional support gaps, unresolved privacy concerns, and professional development needs, which coincide with a continued focus on isolated administrative tool use rather than integrated pedagogical AI ecosystems in this sample.