Beyond the tech neutrality myth: integration and resistance to ethics and gender equality in Portuguese AI higher education

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Purpose This study aims to investigate the extent to which ethics and gender equality are integrated into artificial intelligence (AI) and data science (DS) pedagogies within Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIs). It aims to identify the pedagogical approaches, specific contents and structural barriers that shape how future professionals are prepared to address the societal impacts of AI. Design/methodology/approach Using a three-phase mixed-methods design, the research includes: a desk survey of 37 university programmes (undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels); an online questionnaire for program coordinators and lecturers (n = 13; 25% response rate among coordinators); and 10 semi-structured interviews with AI educators and experts. Findings Results reveal that only 24% of AI-related programmes incorporate a gender perspective, often implicitly through recommended bibliographies or broad concepts such as “fairness” and “bias.” The study identifies a significant disconnect between institutional equality rhetoric and participants’ reported teaching practices. This gap is exacerbated by a masculinised academic culture, in which 73% of programmes are coordinated by men and by emerging forms of resistance to gender-related perspectives, which may further contribute to the marginalisation of gender-related knowledge in AI education. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first systematic study in Portugal to map the integration of gender equality in AI education, offering critical insights into the persistence of the “tech neutrality” paradigm and the need for a transition towards socio-technical and feminist pedagogies.