AI Adoption Slow Despite Growing Digital Transformation Efforts, CTOs Report

Title: 2024 Survey of Campus Chief Technology/Information Officers

Source: Inside Higher Ed and Hanover Research

Inside Higher Ed, partnering with Hanover Research, recently released its third annual Survey of Campus Chief Technology/Information Officers. This comprehensive report explores how colleges and universities are dealing with rapid changes in artificial intelligence (AI) and digital transformation, offering insights into their challenges and opportunities.

Despite the growing enthusiasm for AI’s potential to revolutionize higher education, the survey reveals that most institutions may not be prepared to handle its rise. Only 9 percent of chief technology officers (CTOs) believe that higher education is ready to tackle the challenges posed by AI, while 32 percent say their own institution is prepared for AI’s growth. However, nearly two-thirds of CTOs consider digital transformation to be essential or a high priority for their institution. This discrepancy points to a clear need for better strategic planning and investment to fully realize the benefits of AI while mitigating potential risks.

• Additional key findings include:
• More than 6 in 10 CTOs are concerned about AI’s impact on higher education, particularly regarding academic integrity. This concern has grown from 36 percent of CTOs being very or extremely concerned in 2023.
• Enthusiasm for AI is significant, with 46 percent of CTOs saying they are very or extremely enthusiastic about AI’s potential to expand their institution’s capabilities.
• Half of respondents report that their institution uses AI for narrow applications like chatbots, making these the most common application of AI on campuses. Slightly over half of respondents say their institution lacks formal AI policies.
• Only 23 percent of CTOs report that investing in AI is an essential or high priority for their institution.
• Limited resources pose challenges for AI adoption, with 68 percent of CTOs struggling to hire technology employees, down from 77 percent in 2023. The share of CTOs reporting challenges retaining technology staff has also decreased from 47 percent to 40 percent.
• There are continued efforts in digital transformation, with 81 percent of CTOs citing student success as a high priority area compared to 78 percent in 2023. However, only 35 percent of respondents say their institutions have set specific digital transformation goals, down from 40 percent last year.
• AI partnerships are emerging slowly, with 20 percent of institutions collaborating with technology companies to implement AI and another 32 percent of institutions considering such partnerships. Furthermore, 15 percent of institutions are building their own AI tools using open-source models, while an additional 15 percent of institutions are exploring this approach.
• Online education shows a divide between public and private institutions. Nearly all public institution CTOs (96 percent) agree they will sustain high-quality online courses, compared to just 37 percent at private nonprofit institutions. The share of CTOs reporting their institution has reduced virtual course offerings has nearly doubled, from 28 percent to 47 percent, since 2023.

To read the full report, click here. To learn more, click here to register for the Nov. 13 webinar hosted by Inside Higher Ed to discuss the survey results.

—Alex Zhao