Artificial intelligence (AI) in tertiary education

About the report

A key pillar of the UK’s national artificial intelligence (AI) strategy is to ensure that all sectors benefit from the increased use of AI as it becomes mainstream in much of the economy – and education is no exception.

From chatbots and digital assistants to adaptive learning platforms and predictive analytics, AI has the power to transform the educational experience for staff and learners alike. Carefully implemented, the technology has real potential to help educators better understand and meet the needs of their learners.

However, adopting AI can be a daunting challenge for institutions that lack the time, expertise and resources to explore its many uses.

This is why Jisc is taking the lead in helping universities and colleges understand and leverage the benefits of AI as they focus on their digital strategies and transformations. We believe we can help reduce risk, cost and complexity, as well as accelerate the adoption of this enabling new technology across the sector.

With this in mind, Jisc’s updated report on AI in tertiary education provides real-life examples where the technology is already saving time for staff and improving life for students. It also explores the future of AI, and what we can expect as the technology matures.

We need to start preparing our systems and data now to support integration and allow the development of more of these kinds of systems in the future. Jisc is uniquely placed to work together with the education sector to enable institutions to plan how they will use AI efficiently, effectively and ethically.

We hope that this new report provides the context and ideas for colleges and universities to explore this further.