Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in Higher Education: Promising or Perilous?

What exactly is artificial intelligence (AI) and what business does it have in higher education? Simply put, AI is an attempt to emulate human knowledge by programming extensive rules into computers. Through machine learning and expert systems, machines can produce patterns within mass flows of data and pinpoint correlations that couldn't possibly be immediately intuitive to humans. The developmental capabilities and precision of AI ultimately depend on the gathering of data – Big Data. Where better to find a continuous stream of information than within the highly active and engaging community of students.