The intersection of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and educational leadership has garnered significant attention in recent years due to advancements in knowledge technology and digital literacy. Despite growing interest from scholars and policymakers over the past decade, a comprehensive review of AI in the context of educational leadership and policy is still lacking. This study addresses this gap by systematically analyzing 168 peer-reviewed papers published between 2000 and 2024 through bibliometric analysis. It then conducts a thematic analysis of the top 20 highly cited papers to focus on key challenges and opportunities identified in applying AI from the perspectives of educational leadership and management. The results reveal major trends, geographic distributions, topical focuses, core concepts, themes, and their interconnections, as well as their implications from the viewpoints of educational leadership and management. The study highlights strategies and potential for integrating AI into educational leadership roles in the current era. Additionally, this study discusses the implications, limitations, and future research directions based on the reviewed studies.