Who’s afraid of GPT?

How AI forces universities to change and what an AI-powered university of the future could look like

Certain advancements in the field of AI, especially with large language models, have forced universities to acknowledge this technology and its potential influence on the practices of teaching, learning, assessment and research in the context of higher education.

But while there seems to be a consensus among those who had a chance to become familiar with this technology about the fact that it will heavily influence higher education as we know it, there is not a lot of consensus when it comes to how higher education needs to change to fully tap into the potential of this AI.

In my talk, I will outline the main aspects of higher education that will be heavily impacted by AI (teaching, learning, assessment, and research) and describe what kind of reactions will be necessary for universities to cope with the impact.

To take the discussion a step further, I will then suggest a scenario about the future development of AI in the next 10 years.

Based on this scenario I will describe how the university of the future might not only survive despite the latest technological developments but rather thrive powered by AI. This will require professors, students, researchers and the university leadership to embrace a specific mindset and skillset which I will outline in my talk.

I will end with specific examples of what professors, students, and university leadership can do today to take the next step towards an AI-powered university of the future.