https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/296 2026-11-03T20:13:53Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150742 Title: Responsible AI governance for student-centred digital transformation in higher education Authors: Camilleri, Mark Anthony Abstract: The digitalisation of higher education as well as the recent advances in generative and agentic artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming teaching and learning, academic leadership, institutional governance and student support services. AI-enabled technologies provide opportunities to personalise learning, improve educational decision-making, enhance administrative efficiency and foster innovation across universities. However, their widespread adoption also raises concerns regarding their algorithms’ transparency, explainability, fairness, accountability, privacy, academic integrity and stakeholder trust. Consequently, responsible AI governance is emerging as a strategic institutional capability that facilitates student-centred digital transformation while safeguarding ethical, educational and societal values. This conceptual paper examines how responsible AI governance can support higher education institutions in fostering digital transformation within an increasingly complex technological and regulatory environment. Building on recent advances in AI governance and explainable artificial intelligence (XAI), it proposes a conceptual framework that integrates governance mechanisms with institutional capabilities to promote transparent, trustworthy and student-centred AI adoption. The framework synthesises principles of ethical oversight, algorithmic transparency, explainability, risk management, regulatory compliance, stakeholder engagement, human oversight, and continuous evaluation. It argues that explainability should be regarded as an institutional capability that empowers educators, supports informed student engagement, strengthens academic decision-making and reinforces institutional legitimacy. The proposed framework demonstrates how responsible AI governance can enhance strategic alignment, organisational learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, knowledge sharing and digital resilience while supporting equitable educational innovation. It also considers the implications of AI for curriculum design, assessment, student engagement, academic work and human-AI collaboration. This contribution extends the literature on responsible AI in a higher educational context. It offers practical guidance for university leaders, educators, policymakers and quality assurance bodies who are seeking to implement trustworthy AI systems that strengthen institutional effectiveness and promote student-centred digital transformation. Therefore, it supports the achievement of SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) by advancing responsible AI governance and digital innovation in higher education. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149670 Title: Digital transformation and AI-enabled accommodation platforms: Implications for destination marketing, governance and development Editors: Lehto, Xinran Abstract: This special issue seeks to advance understanding of how digital platforms and AI are reshaping destination marketing and management through their influence on accommodation systems. The guest editors invite contributions that reconceptualize accommodation from a traditional infrastructural requirement for tourism growth, into a strategic and digitally mediated component of destination marketing ecosystems, where platforms: (i) Curate and prioritize destination visibility through algorithms; (ii) Influence destination image formation via reviews, ratings and content; (iii) Shape demand distribution across locations and property types; and (iv) Mediate pricing and perceived value through AI-driven tools. Therefore, prospective contributions can examine the interplay between digital platforms, AI systems and destination stakeholders, including DMOs, local authorities, hotels, hosts and residents. It is imperative that all submissions include empirical testing based on multiple sources of data (e.g., mixed datasets, multi-level data, stakeholder perspectives, longitudinal evidence, and/or triangulated methods). Studies should move beyond descriptive analysis to offer theoretically grounded insights and meaningful implications for policy, governance and managerial practice. Interdisciplinary perspectives are welcome, provided that the study maintains a clear focus on destination-level outcomes and implications. Indicative themes Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: Digital intermediation and destination marketing • The role of accommodation platforms in shaping destination visibility and image • Algorithmic curation and its impact on destination branding and positioning • User-generated content, reviews and AI-generated content in destination representation • Platform-mediated storytelling and the construction of place narratives AI and the transformation of tourism demand: • AI-driven recommendation systems and their influence on destination choice • Dynamic pricing and perceived destination value • Personalization, segmentation and demand forecasting in platform ecosystems • The role of generative AI in marketing accommodation and destinations Destination governance and strategic management • The evolving role of DMOs in platform-dominated ecosystems • Governance challenges arising from platform power and data asymmetries • Regulatory responses to platform-mediated accommodation and AI systems • Public–private coordination in destination marketing and management Spatial dynamics and demand distribution • The redistribution of tourist flows through platform algorithms • Neighbourhood-level impacts and micro-destination development • Overtourism, undertourism and spatial imbalances linked to platform visibility Competition and destination competitiveness • Competitive dynamics between hotels and P2P accommodation in digital marketplaces • The influence of platform metrics (ratings, rankings) on destination competitiveness • The effects of market concentration and platform dominance on destination offerings Sustainability and destination development • Impacts of accommodation platforms on sustainable destination development • Community well-being, housing pressures and social carrying capacity • Infrastructure and environmental implications of platform-driven demand Stakeholders and power relations • Power asymmetries between platforms, DMOs, accommodation providers and regulators • Stakeholder collaboration and conflict in destination marketing ecosystems • The impact of data access and digital skills on stakeholder’s decisionmaking Future trajectories of destination systems • The integration of AI in destination marketing strategies • The future of hotels within platform-mediated ecosystems • Future scenarios for the evolution of destination management in the context of platform-based ecosystems. In sum, this special issue seeks to develop a system-level perspective that positions AI-enabled accommodation platforms as both market mechanisms (i.e., systems that match supply and demand, set prices and govern transactions) as well as promotional channels. It calls for research that critically examines how these digitally mediated systems are reshaping destination visibility, competitiveness and governance. Moreover, prospective contributions can provide insights into how stakeholders can avail themselves of these smart technologies to ensure sustainable, inclusive and strategically coordinated destination development. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149534 Title: Differential representation and epistemic inequality : how generative AI systems frame overdevelopment and ecological harm in Malta Authors: Erben, Şeyma Esin Abstract: This study examines how generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) systems represent overdevelopment and associated ecological harm in Malta. The analysis draws on 96 out puts from ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and DeepSeek, coded at the meaning-unit level using a comparative qualitative approach and a hybrid deductive–inductive framework. Representations varied across systems and prompt conditions. Consequence-oriented prompts foregrounded habitat loss, biodiversity decline, and ecosystem degradation, while causal prompts made speculative development pressures, regulatory weaknesses, and construction-driven economic growth more visible. These between-family differences are treated primarily as task-conditioned variation rather than, by themselves, as evidence of epistemic inequality. Actor visibility also varied within comparable prompt conditions. The Planning Authority and environmental NGOs appeared relatively frequently, whereas local councils, EU institutions, and citizens/residents showed more pronounced prompt-specific gaps within the expected-actor framework. The study therefore distinguishes differential representation from epistemic inequality: the former concerns variation in the actors, ex planations, and policy responses made visible, while the latter is used more narrowly for prompt-specific uneven visibility of expected actors beyond what follows from the prompt task. The findings position Gen AI systems as components of epistemic mediation rather than neutral channels of information. 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/149253 Title: How can Maltese films be sold internationally : a qualitative approach to distribution research Abstract: This study explores fundamental topics that serve as the foundation on how Maltese films can be sold abroad. Three crucial research questions emerged from the literature analyzed which shape the direction of this study: what are the distribution channels open to Maltese filmmakers internationally?; how do sales agents facilitate the sales of films from small countries?; and what do Maltese films require to be sold abroad? In-depth semi- structured interviews were carried out with both Maltese filmmakers and foreign sales agents to identify whether their expectations correlate. The findings of this study confirm that multiple distribution channels are accessible to Maltese filmmakers, with sales agents utilizing key strategies, such as film festivals, diverse markets - including VOD, and non- commercial opportunities, to maximize their effectiveness. Furthermore, the results highlight that while there is no specific criteria Maltese films must follow to be sold abroad, there are factors which contribute to making such efforts a reality, such as following certain legalities. This notion further adds weight to why attaching a sales agent to a film production is crucial since they hold the necessary knowledge and expertise that guide filmmakers through unfamiliar territories. This study’s research also outlines other elements which contribute to the necessity of global distribution for Maltese films, including the enrichment of the indigenous film industry, a widening of opportunities for Maltese cinema, and the resulting understanding in the difference of local and global distribution dynamics. Description: B.Comms. (Hons)(Melit.) 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z