This paper advocates critical discernment in AI integration in higher education in the “left-behind” segments of society to address sustainability challenges‌. It proposes a holistic educational framework enabling responsible AI use while mitigating risks of oversimplification or manipulation‌. The study highlights the need to engage faculty in developing sustainable AI integration models, and to adopt seeing–judging–acting paradigm to evaluate AI utilization with its ethical implications and practical benefits‌. The paper also examines the role of the EU’s AI Act to identify low and high-risk AI applications, and calls for interdisciplinary collaboration to cultivate AI literacy, ensuring technology enhances, rather than undermines rigorous academic inquiry and societal well-being‌.