<![CDATA[Background: Integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into higher education holds significant potential to enhance pedagogy, yet institutional and contextual barriers often hinder implementation in developing regions. Objective: This study investigated the factors influencing lecturers' teaching practices, professional competency needs, and perceived challenges regarding AI integration in curriculum development across tertiary institutions in Anambra State, Nigeria. Method: A descriptive survey design was employed with 62 lecturers sampled through an online Likert-scale questionnaire (alpha = 0.85) distributed via Google Forms. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) in SPSS version 23. Result: Findings revealed that AI offers substantial benefits, notably replicating effective teaching strategies, supporting data-driven curriculum planning, and personalizing student learning. However, prominent systemic barriers emerged, particularly insufficient technical expertise, educator resistance, limited access to high-quality data, and financial constraints. ANOVA tests indicated no significant perceptual differences regarding these benefits and limitations across varying years of teaching experience (p > 0.05). Conclusion: AI presents transformative opportunities for tertiary curricula, but effective institutional adoption necessitates mitigating operational bottlenecks, bridging skill deficits, and establishing ethical frameworks. Originality/Value: This research enriches the empirical discourse on educational technology in developing economies by uncovering critical faculty perspectives on AI-driven curriculum development. It provides strategic references for policymakers to direct digital infrastructure investments and design sustainable faculty training programs.]]>
