The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping higher education globally, compelling tertiary institutions to reconsider traditional pedagogical models that prioritize content transmission over learner capability. In the context of Fiji and the broader Pacific region, where higher education systems face unique challenges related to geographic dispersion, resource constraints, digital inequities, and postcolonial educational legacies, the integration of AI presents both transformative opportunities and critical responsibilities. This paper argues that the meaningful adoption of AI in Pacific tertiary education requires a paradigmatic shift from pedagogy to heutagogy, emphasizing self-determined learning, learner autonomy, adaptability, and capability development.

Drawing on contemporary scholarship in heutagogy, digital transformation, and AI in education, the paper develops a conceptual framework positioning AI as an enabler of learner agency rather than a replacement for human educators. It examines how AI-driven tools, such as adaptive learning systems, intelligent tutoring, research assistants, learning analytics, and simulation platforms, can support personalized learning pathways, reflective practice, and double-loop learning. Within a Pacific context, this transformation is further situated within the region’s cultural emphasis on relationality, community knowledge, and collective responsibility, highlighting the importance of human-centred, ethically grounded AI integration.

The paper critically discusses opportunities, including expanded access to learning, enhanced research productivity, and innovation capacity, while also addressing challenges such as algorithmic bias, data sovereignty, digital divides, and academic integrity. It argues that sustainable AI-enabled transformation in Fiji and Pacific tertiary institutions must prioritize ethical governance, digital literacy development, culturally responsive pedagogies, and strong human oversight.

Ultimately, this study positions AI not as a technological disruption to be managed, but as a strategic catalyst for reimagining tertiary education in the Pacific, moving beyond pedagogy toward a heutagogical model that fosters lifelong learning, resilience, and capability in an era of uncertainty.

Artificial Intelligence, Heutagogy, Tertiary Education, Fiji, Pacific Higher Education, Learner Autonomy, Digital Transformation, Capability Development, Human-Centred AI, Educational Reform

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