The role of AI in higher education

In recent decades, the advent of machine learning and neural networks — among other key advancements in building artificial intelligence systems that mirror human capabilities — has dramatically shifted many landscapes, ushering in a new era of AI.

Today, AI’s fingerprints can be found everywhere — from voice assistants in our homes to advanced research tools in our labs. Education is no exception. In the not-so-distant future, AI-driven personalized learning platforms are set to reshape the learning experience, using personal data to tailor content based on each student's needs.

Lance Gharavi, a research affiliate with CHART, provided insight into how AI is currently shaping education across the university and beyond.

The promise of generative AI in higher education is compelling. It can bring abstract ideas to life through visual aids, enhancing teaching and learning. It can handle routine tasks, freeing educators to focus more on teaching and students' individual needs.

“I think it’s a marvelously exciting time to be a student, an educator, a researcher or an artist because we have to fundamentally look at our basic assumptions and ideas about how we interact with each other and our environment,” said Lance Gharavi, a professor in the School of Music, Dance and Theatre, part of the Herberger Institute for Design and Arts.

The challenge, Gharavi pointed out, is ensuring that we actively guide this transformative process.

“We have to ask ourselves why we’ve been doing things a certain way for decades, and maybe rethink our approach — and that is both exhilarating and anxiety producing.”

But where do we draw the line?

“There’s a problem with the limiting principle — a rule or guideline that tells us when to stop or how far to go with something,” Gharavi said. “On the one hand, we have something as simple as artificial intelligence like

spell check, and on the other, we have something as sophisticated as ChatGPT — it’s a complicated conversation. Because if we’re not acknowledging the messiness, we’re not being honest.”

But Gharavi acknowledged AI’s potential to enhance teaching and learning, as long as we keep an eye on the ethical implications.

“We find ourselves in a time that is both exhilarating and frightening. Change is scary and it's exciting,” Gharavi said. “I think the potential to radically transform higher education is really there, and we have to make sure that we are working vigorously to steer how that change happens.”