On March 11, 2026, Routledge /Taylor & Francis will publish the book AI Applications in Online Higher Education Administration: Strategies for Maximizing Returns and Improving Outcomes by editors Kathleen S. Ives, Marie A. Cini, and Ray Schroeder. This is a new publication of the University Professional and Continuing Education Association, featuring a wide range of topics from higher educational leaders.
I was pleased to contribute Chapter 14, (pp 165-175) entitled Developing a Culture of AI Readiness in Higher Education, to this publication. As I look back over the past year’s work, I am becoming aware of just how much doing the work on this chapter changed the way I have been thinking about the impact generative AI is likely to have of post-secondary education in the US.
Executive Summary
Artificial intelligence (AI) represents a transformative force in higher education. Successful AI integration requires more than technological excellence, commitment to innovation, and a vision for the future to be successful. It will also demand a fundamental reorientation of higher education institutional culture to fully leverage AI’s co-creation and human augmentation capabilities for extending and evolving teaching, learning, research, and inquiry.
To create an AI-ready culture, stakeholders will need to fully embrace the things that AI can do, and the possibilities that AI brings. This means:
• Helping stakeholders imagine what the future with AI will be;
• Encouraging stakeholders to become active contributors to an AI future that embraces the synergy of human and machine intelligence;
• Engaging with AI tools and methods to personally experience what AI can do, and to personally experience the benefits it catalyzes.
The rapid evolution of AI technologies, particularly generative AI, creates both opportunities and challenges for higher education institutions. Success depends upon developing a thoughtful, strategic approach to AI integration that considers technological implications alongside pedagogical, ethical, and cultural dimensions that align with institutional mission.
Central to this discussion is the premise that emphasizing human augmentation and co-creative processes enabled by AI drives significant value in higher education for all higher educational stakeholders. By focusing on extending human creativity and productivity with smart machines rather than focusing primarily on cost savings from task automation or human replacement, the strategic adoption of AI in higher education will directly support the fundamentally human elements of teaching, learning, and scholarly inquiry.
Looking ahead, the success of AI integration in higher education will depend largely on institutions’ ability to maintain a balance between technological innovation and human-centered learning and performance improvement. In particular, institutions will need to determine how to leverage machine intelligence to do the things that machines do better than people in combination with leveraging human intelligence to do the things people can do better. The examples presented throughout this chapter demonstrate that when properly implemented, AI can enhance rather than diminish the human elements of education. As institutions continue to develop their AI integration strategies, they must remain focused on creating cultures that embrace AI technologies and human flourishing, preserving the fundamental values and purposes of higher education.
The future will likely bring even more sophisticated AI applications, but the principles outlined in this chapter—emphasizing human augmentation, fostering co-creation—will remain crucial guideposts for successful integration. Institutions that can effectively navigate this transformation while maintaining their educational mission will be best positioned to thrive in an increasingly AI-enabled academic landscape.