Business leaders across the world are beginning to see that artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a large and critical role in the success of their businesses. The situation is not much different in the Higher Education (HE) sector. Many CEOs and HE institution leaders view AI as a complex technology, forever evolving and, therefore, defying a clear understanding. Thus, urging them to rely more on the knowledge and skills of their CIOs, CTOs and external consultants, rather than their existing in-house educators and staff, for help.

Business and higher education imperative

No matter how difficult AI is turning out to be, CEOs and HE institution leaders are recognising that AI requires their full attention. Guided by their CIOs, they are embarking on AI journeys, implementing their chosen AI technology enterprise- or university-wide, a few processes at a time. That’s because adoption and implementation of AI technology is not easy. The journey requires maturity in understanding technology, careful planning, IT resources and financial investment. The Jisc June 2022 report AI in Tertiary Education [PDF] describes a typical model. [https://www.jisc.ac.uk/reports/ai-in-tertiary-education#]

Cultural change

The way organisations and universities will manage their operations will change as AI replaces existing processes and ushers in new ones. This will mean:

• Enhanced skills for everyone – re-skilling and up-skilling managers, educators, executives, administrators, staff, students, the supply chain and distribution teams;
• A smarter, intelligent organisation/university – orienting everyone to the importance of data and analytics, shaking off dependence on legacy processes;
• A rejuvenated organisation/university – changing human attitudes and behaviour towards technology, work, time, interdepartmental and interpersonal engagements, customer and student experiences;
• Growth and development – continued financial investments in technology, talent, AI innovation and implementation.

Top management involvement

That’s a tall order for any organisation or university. It demands buy-in from – and involvement of – the top management. A 2019 MIT Sloan Management Review research report (sponsored by SaS) titled How AI Changes the Rules states: “A commitment from the top appears to be key in driving AI forward.” [https://sloanreview.mit.edu/sponsors-content/how-ai-changes-the-rules-new-imperatives-for-the-intelligent-organization/]

However, the responsibility of AI implementation and its success falls squarely on the CIO and the technology team. And yet, AI adoption is inseparable from the people who use and benefit from it daily – throughout the organisation/university and even outside it (e.g. suppliers/vendors and student applicants. This means, AI automatically becomes a ‘top priority’ for the CEO. It drives the CEO to create strategies and collaborations between people, AI and other technologies wherever the organisation/university has its reach.

Use Cases in Higher Education

In an article titled How Colleges Are Using Artificial Intelligence To Improve Enrollment And Retention, published in Forbes Magazine [https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaeltnietzel/2022/10/01/colleges-are-turning-to-artificial-intelligence-to-improve-enrollment-and-retention/], Michael T. Nietzel discusses several AI use and adoption cases which are worth considering. His point is, “Artificial intelligence (AI) has gradually become accepted by colleges and universities as an effective tool for automating a number of tasks effectively and efficiently.”

He says, “College leaders have learned that AI can do more than merely churn out routine prompts and generate helpful tips. They’re starting to use the technology to address some of their largest and most persistent challenges - including such bottom-line issues as increasing enrollment, improving student retention, and allocating financial aid.”

“Chatbots can answer students’ questions about class scheduling or check in with them about their mental health. AI-generated emails can remind students about important deadlines, prompt them to register for classes, turn in assignments and pay their fees on time.” Mr Nietzel writes universities and colleges are now “deploying AI to do better things.” He mentions how Georgia Tech in the US “even used AI to build a virtual teaching assistant, called Jill Watson.”

Slow adoption

CEOs and HE institution leaders are indeed excited by AI’s promise: an intelligent, data-driven ecosystem delivering increased productivity through a culturally-enhanced, talent-intensive workplace. Even then, probably due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they had been somewhat slow in adopting AI. The 2019 MIT Sloan Management and SaS Review report How AI Changes the Rules explains that:

“While AI promises to transform business and create value, for most organizations, it is still too early to realize those benefits at scale. Just 5% are implementing AI widely across the organization, while 18% have implemented it in a few processes, and 19% are running pilot projects. Although another 13% are planning AI adoption, the largest group, 27%, are still investigating it.”

Opportunity

Perhaps this should not come as a surprise to us. Most CEOs and HE institution leaders are unaware what AI really is, let alone successfully deploy AI strategies for their organisations or universities. This has opened up a big opportunity for CIOs, CTOs and external consultants. They need to educate businesses, universities and the entire industry on AI, best-use AI cases and AI adoption. Thereafter, individual organisations and HE institutions can embark on their own AI adoption journeys.