EDUCAUSE ’24: Adapting to Exponential Change in the Age of AI

When ChatGPT was released in November 2022, it reached 1 million users in just five days, an unprecedented rate of adoption. For Mark Roman, managing partner for education at the IT services company Info-Tech Research Group, the widespread and rapid integration of generative artificial intelligence into everyday life was a harbinger of the rate of technological change we can expect in the future.

In order for higher education institutions to remain competitive and relevant, Roman said at the annual EDUCAUSE conference last week, they will need to develop technology-first enterprises, guidance for overcoming physical and ethical challenges, and appropriate updates for all manner of internal processes.

EXPONENTIAL CHANGE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Looking back on the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Roman divided the last several decades into three distinct eras. The 1960s to the 1990s represent “computerization,” using computing power to transform basic IT systems. At this time, he said, the focus was on streamlining internal, back-office functions such as payroll.

In the 2000s and 2010s, organizations leveraged the Internet and digital technologies to bring new capabilities to internal and external processes: online banking, ride-hailing apps and social media, to name a few.

The current era, according to Roman, is “automatization,” where automated decision-making is embedded throughout organizations. He said the automatization era requires IT professionals to understand what is possible with these new technologies, and many are given leadership roles, such as chief information officer, to guide their organizations.

The time period between major innovations is shortening. Roman said quantum computing will likely be the next big technological disruption. He predicted that Q-day, the day quantum computing overtakes traditional encryption methods, is about seven years away. This exponential rate of change in the IT world will require the education sector to fundamentally transform how it operates, Roman said.

“There’s no 'new normal,'” he said. “There is only a next normal, and the next normal is happening this afternoon. Pace of change is that fast.”

TECHNOLOGY-FIRST ENTERPRISES

As colleges and universities become more reliant upon technology, they need to embrace the shift toward becoming technology-first enterprises, or organizations that use technology as a core driver, not just support.

Roman used an insurance company as an example.
“If three quarters of all the people that work for a life insurance company today are doing IT work, whether it’s business intelligence or data analytics or desktop support … it’s not a life insurance company anymore,” he said. “It’s a technology-first enterprise that happens to make its profits selling life insurance, just like Google is a technology-first enterprise that happens to make most of its money selling advertising.”

Similarly, if the vast majority of people in higher education use technology to accomplish their goals, technology is a central part of higher education and should be treated as such. This means expanding or altering the understanding of a school’s core mission beyond traditional priorities like teaching, research and community engagement.

While this would be a big change for many institutions, Roman said colleges and universities that adapt proactively to this new landscape will be better suited to adapt to other changes in the future. He said part of this will come from IT leaders and leadership structure, which has been growing in depth and responsibility at many institutions, since many now have either a chief information officer (CIO), chief information security officer or both. Additionally, some organizations have created chief data officer, chief digital officer, chief technology officer and even chief AI officer positions. The increase in C-suite positions for IT professionals reflects the growing importance of technology expertise, he said.

INSTITUTIONAL GUIDANCE

While Roman said prioritizing technological integration will be key, he is not an advocate for blind faith in these technologies. In collaboration with IT leadership, he said, institutions will need to create clear guidance for how to use existing technologies and how to approach new ones as they emerge.

For example, as AI becomes entwined with decision-making processes, Roman said leaders must reflect on how comfortable they are basing a decision on something that is “only probably correct.”

He added that concerns about perpetuating human bias, infringing on privacy and producing reliable insights should all be part of the conversation.

PROCESS CHANGES

Ideally, Roman said, institutions will develop processes to address problems with bias, privacy and reliability in their tech tools. He noted that even some departmental functions that are not explicitly about technology might require technology protocols or professional development. For example, he shared a story of one CIO who used ChatGPT for employee performance reviews, which compromised private employee data. The performance review process, then, should include guidance on artificial intelligence.

Roman recommended that every institution establish an overarching AI governance council to set institutional policies and remain up to date with new considerations. A dedicated ethics council and an AI center for excellence that explores new applications of AI could also be beneficial, especially if all three work together, he said.

Another key area of focus for Roman was ensuring that the process of data collection is sound, as good data maximizes the effectiveness of AI and potential new technologies. Keeping these tangible effects top of mind can create a larger impact than smaller considerations, like, for example, which service provider to partner with.

“You can’t change an organization with a really good service desk,” Roman said. “But you will change an organization through projects. You will change an organization through work orders and innovation.”