Digital Leadership in Islamic Education: Transforming Madrasah Management for the Era of Artificial Intelligence

Abstract

Digital transformation in Islamic education has increasingly evolved toward the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in institutional management; however, technology adoption in madrasahs has not always been accompanied by changes in leadership practices and organizational governance. This condition indicates a gap between digitalization and AI-driven management transformation. This study aims to analyze the role of AI-enabled digital leadership in transforming madrasah management and to formulate a leadership framework that reflects the distinctive characteristics of Islamic education. The study employs a qualitative approach with a multisite study design involving several madrasahs in Lampung Province, Indonesia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and documentation and were analyzed using an interactive analysis model involving data condensation, data display, and conclusion drawing and verification. The findings indicate that madrasahs’ readiness to adopt AI is determined not only by technological infrastructure but also by digital competence, organizational culture, data utilization capacity, and ethical preparedness. Madrasah principals function as AI-enabled digital leaders through digital vision, data-driven decision-making, competency development, change management, and ethical AI governance. The study proposes a framework integrating AI-enabled strategic leadership, human-centered digital management, data-driven organizational culture, and ethical Islamic AI governance as foundations for developing adaptive, innovative, human-centered, and Islamic value-based madrasah management in the AI era.