3 Areas Where AI Will Impact Higher Ed Most in 2025
What should colleges and universities expect from the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in the coming year? Here's what the experts told us.
In an open call last month, we asked higher education and ed tech industry leaders for their predictions on developments in artificial intelligence for 2025. Their responses suggested three key areas where AI would have the most impact in higher education: teaching and learning; AI literacy and career readiness; and operations and decision-making. Here's what they told us.
AI in Teaching and Learning
"In 2025, I predict we'll see a rise in state and federal legislation around the use of artificial intelligence in classrooms. But even with the best intentions, legislators may end up inadvertently putting up barriers for tools that are actually helping students learn. It's going to be incredibly important for institutions and policymakers to truly understand the difference between generative AI tools — which may compromise the learning process or lack the proper technological safety systems to be appropriate for student use — and learning tools that incorporate safe and tested algorithms to support authentic teaching and learning workflows."
— Kelsey Behringer, CEO, Packback
"In 2025, we'll see institutions shift from AI as an adversary to an ally, unlocking the biggest transformation for pedagogy and student learning. There are several essential steps that institutions can take to get there:
- "Establish clear and consistent policies. Create policies that guide both educators and students in their use of AI. These guidelines should clarify what constitutes responsible AI use and the expectations surrounding it.
- "Develop AI literacy programs. Educate stakeholders — both faculty and students — on responsible AI use. Institutions can implement programs that focus on AI literacy, ensuring that everyone understands both the opportunities and risks associated with these technologies.
- "Utilize AI detectors judiciously. While AI detection tools can offer insights, they should be integrated into a broader framework of academic integrity. Institutions must acknowledge the limitations of these tools and avoid using them in isolation.
- "Foster open conversations. Encouraging dialogue between faculty and students about AI use is crucial. Process-tracking tools detailing the origin of content — whether human-typed, AI-generated, or edited — can serve as valuable conversation starters."
— Jenny Maxwell, head of education, Grammarly
"AI ed tech is going to get a lot messier before it gets better. There are going to be raging debates about whether it is worth it and if we're getting any real value from it. Eventually things will settle and these tools will be institutionalized into education, but the extent to which these tools transform education will not be resolved next year."
— Betheny Gross, research director, WGU Labs
"Artificial Intelligence will encapsulate many other emerging technologies over the past 10 years. This will be driven by the trillions of dollars invested by AI start-ups and tech giants. This will result in more affordable and intuitive breakthroughs for faculty and students. The faculty's AI adoption rate will accelerate the demand for ed tech vendors to adjust their deliverables and pricing models.
"The ed tech companies that master the changing campus environments and bring operations and academics together will be the runaway winners. Agile, mobile app ed tech companies can quickly align strategic partnerships to flip the ed tech scripts currently in play across higher education. Higher education is well positioned to glean and apply changes quicker than ever with AI.