The future of learning or the future of dividing? Exploring the impact of generative artificial intelligence on higher education
This article examines the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) on higher education, emphasizing its effects in the broader educational contexts. As AI continues to reshape the landscape of teaching and learning, it is imperative for higher education institutions to adapt rapidly to equ...
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Cambridge University Press
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Data & Policy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632324925100114/type/journal_article |
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| author | Wilson Wong Angela Aristidou Konstantin Scheuermann |
| author_facet | Wilson Wong Angela Aristidou Konstantin Scheuermann |
| author_sort | Wilson Wong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article examines the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) on higher education, emphasizing its effects in the broader educational contexts. As AI continues to reshape the landscape of teaching and learning, it is imperative for higher education institutions to adapt rapidly to equip graduates for the challenges of a progressively automated global workforce. However, a critical question emerges: will GAI lead to a more inclusive future of learning, or will it deepen existing divides and create a future where educational access and success are increasingly unequal? This study employs both theoretical and empirical approaches to explore the transformative potential of GAI. Drawing upon the literature on AI and education, we establish a framework that categorizes the essential knowledge and skills needed by graduates in the GAI era. This framework includes four key capability sets: AI ethics, AI literacy (focusing on human-replacement technologies), human–AI collaboration (emphasizing human augmentation), and human-distinctive capacities (highlighting unique human intelligence). Our empirical analysis involves scrutinizing GAI policy documents and the core curricula mandated for all graduates across leading Asian universities. Contrary to expectations of a uniform AI-driven educational transformation, our findings expose significant disparities in AI readiness and implementation among these institutions. These disparities, shaped by national and institutional specifics, are likely to exacerbate existing inequalities in educational outcomes, leading to divergent futures for individuals and universities alike in the age of GAI. Thus, this article not only maps the current landscape but also forecasts the widening educational gaps that GAI might engender. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c264914029f24ef08121aa2fdf3e7308 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2632-3249 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Data & Policy |
| spelling | doaj-art-c264914029f24ef08121aa2fdf3e73082025-08-20T03:36:10ZengCambridge University PressData & Policy2632-32492025-01-01710.1017/dap.2025.10011The future of learning or the future of dividing? Exploring the impact of generative artificial intelligence on higher educationWilson Wong0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8109-5846Angela Aristidou1Konstantin Scheuermann2School of Governance and Policy Science, https://ror.org/00t33hh48 The Chinese University of Hong Kong , Hong Kong, Hong KongSchool of Management, https://ror.org/02jx3x895University College London (UCL), London, UKSchool of Management, https://ror.org/02jx3x895University College London (UCL), London, UKThis article examines the impact of generative artificial intelligence (GAI) on higher education, emphasizing its effects in the broader educational contexts. As AI continues to reshape the landscape of teaching and learning, it is imperative for higher education institutions to adapt rapidly to equip graduates for the challenges of a progressively automated global workforce. However, a critical question emerges: will GAI lead to a more inclusive future of learning, or will it deepen existing divides and create a future where educational access and success are increasingly unequal? This study employs both theoretical and empirical approaches to explore the transformative potential of GAI. Drawing upon the literature on AI and education, we establish a framework that categorizes the essential knowledge and skills needed by graduates in the GAI era. This framework includes four key capability sets: AI ethics, AI literacy (focusing on human-replacement technologies), human–AI collaboration (emphasizing human augmentation), and human-distinctive capacities (highlighting unique human intelligence). Our empirical analysis involves scrutinizing GAI policy documents and the core curricula mandated for all graduates across leading Asian universities. Contrary to expectations of a uniform AI-driven educational transformation, our findings expose significant disparities in AI readiness and implementation among these institutions. These disparities, shaped by national and institutional specifics, are likely to exacerbate existing inequalities in educational outcomes, leading to divergent futures for individuals and universities alike in the age of GAI. Thus, this article not only maps the current landscape but also forecasts the widening educational gaps that GAI might engender.https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632324925100114/type/journal_articleartificial intelligencefuture of workgenerative AIhigher educationuniversities |
| spellingShingle | Wilson Wong Angela Aristidou Konstantin Scheuermann The future of learning or the future of dividing? Exploring the impact of generative artificial intelligence on higher education Data & Policy artificial intelligence future of work generative AI higher education universities |
| title | The future of learning or the future of dividing? Exploring the impact of generative artificial intelligence on higher education |
| title_full | The future of learning or the future of dividing? Exploring the impact of generative artificial intelligence on higher education |
| title_fullStr | The future of learning or the future of dividing? Exploring the impact of generative artificial intelligence on higher education |
| title_full_unstemmed | The future of learning or the future of dividing? Exploring the impact of generative artificial intelligence on higher education |
| title_short | The future of learning or the future of dividing? Exploring the impact of generative artificial intelligence on higher education |
| title_sort | future of learning or the future of dividing exploring the impact of generative artificial intelligence on higher education |
| topic | artificial intelligence future of work generative AI higher education universities |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2632324925100114/type/journal_article |
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