Universities have a critical role to play at the intersection of academic thought, organisational practice, and social benefits of technology. It’s easy when thinking about universities’ digital strategies to see that as a technical question of organisational capability and solutions rather than one part of the wider public role universities have in leading thinking and shaping practice for the benefit of society.
The relationship with technology is multifaceted for universities: some parts of the institution are engaged in driving forward technological developments; others may be critically assessing how those developments reshape the human experience and throw up ethical challenges that must be addressed; while others may be seeking to deploy technologies in the service of improving teaching and research. The question, then, for universities, must be how to bring these relationships together in a critical but productive way.
The University of Edinburgh hosts one of the country’s foremost informatics and computer science departments, one of the largest centres of AI research in Europe. The university’s technological research prowess is evident, with a strong academic tradition of critical thought around technology.
The university has introduced a free AI tool for all staff and students, which gives the user access to large language models, including the latest version of Chat-GPT, without sharing user data with OpenAI. This tool is part of the university’s efforts to bring together critical thinking and technological development.
At the leadership level, there is an effort to put professional service leaders on the same footing as academic leaders. This is one example of the ways that roles and structures in universities are evolving, not necessarily as a direct response to technological change, but with technology being one of the aspects of social change that create a need inside universities for the ability to look at challenges from a range of professional perspectives.
The evolution of jobs in universities is a concern, with some worrying about automation leading to staffing reductions. However, universities are likely to adapt to technological changes, with jobs evolving rather than disappearing. The value of the university experience is defined by human interactions, and these cannot be replaced by automation.
Universities need to be mindful of the implications of technological changes and adapt to them quickly. The benefits of AI can be significant, but they need to be carefully managed to ensure that they are used for the benefit of society. By bringing together critical thinking, technological development, and leadership, universities can play a key role in shaping the future of technology and its impact on society.
