Adopting AI that serves the needs and values of universities

AI’s potential to transform practices in higher education and research has sparked curiosity and deepened appetite for experimentation. But as the sector moves towards embedding these tools in everyday workflows, learners, educators and researchers are raising questions about the compatibility of new AI technologies with university values.

In looking to integrate AI responsibly, universities face practical and ethical questions:

• How can they invest in technologies that improve everyday experiences of work and learning?
• How can they reconcile AI’s climate impact with their ambitions to reach carbon neutrality?
• And how can they build digital literacy while cultivating a healthy awareness of risk?

As such, this report looks at current and persisting questions in five key areas – Ethics, Strategies, Training, Regulation and Sustainability – considering if and how AI is changing perceptions and practices. Its findings distil the outcomes of a series of activities guided by a dedicated task-and-finish group comprised of representatives of EUA member universities from diverse academic disciplines.

Therefore, as university leaders and communities tackle these complex questions, this report can serve as a starting point for reflection on small adjustments that can equip them to approach AI mindfully.

Adopting AI that serves the needs and values of universities

Thomas E. Jørgensen, Clare Phelan

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