Artificial Intelligence Assisted Digital Leadership for Employee Performance in Smart Islamic Schools

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming educational management by enabling data-driven leadership, intelligent decision-making, and technology-enabled organizational governance in smart schools. However, limited empirical evidence explains how AI-assisted digital leadership and organizational culture jointly influence employee performance through affective commitment and job satisfaction, particularly in Islamic elementary schools. This study aims to examine the effects of AI-assisted digital leadership and organizational culture on employee performance by investigating the mediating roles of affective commitment and job satisfaction in Integrated Islamic Elementary Schools (SDIT) in Bekasi City, Indonesia. A quantitative approach was employed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with AMOS 24 to analyze data collected from 696 principals, vice principals, and teachers through purposive sampling. The results indicate that organizational culture significantly strengthens AI-assisted digital leadership, while digital leadership positively influences job satisfaction. Job satisfaction significantly improves employee performance, whereas the direct effect of AI-assisted digital leadership on employee performance is not statistically significant. These findings demonstrate that successful digital transformation in smart Islamic schools depends primarily on a supportive organizational culture and employee satisfaction rather than leadership alone. The study contributes to technology-enabled educational management by providing empirical evidence on organizational factors supporting AI-driven school governance and digital transformation. Future research should integrate educational analytics, intelligent decision support systems, and machine learning models to further optimize organizational performance in smart educational environments.