Abstract

This study explored the lived experiences of teacher education administrators in leading the integration of generative artificial intelligence, particularly text-based tools, in higher education institutions in Northern Mindanao, Philippines. As AI becomes increasingly embedded in teaching, learning, and academic operations, administrators are expected to ensure its responsible use while preparing future educators for technology-shaped classrooms. Using a transcendental phenomenological design, the study examined administrators’ readiness, challenges, leadership strategies, and perceptions of AI integration. Ten teacher education administrators from public and private institutions were purposively selected and participated in semi-structured, in-depth interviews guided by Seidman’s three-phase interview model, complemented by document and social media content analysis for triangulation. Data were analyzed using Moustakas’ phenomenological approach with NVivo support. Findings indicate that AI readiness is a developmental leadership competence shaped by technological exposure, awareness of learners’ digital contexts, and continuous learning, but constrained by governance ambiguity, ethical concerns, resource limitations, and uneven faculty preparedness. The study suggests an AI-Integration Blueprint grounded in administrators’ lived experiences, emphasizing governance and ethical readiness, human-centered faculty capability, and gradual, resource-conscious implementation.