Why universities will need to digitalise to survive Dave Sherwood 27 February 2021 Universities, and the role they play in society, are under threat from the impact of the ongoing pandemic. While rarely a sector in financial crisis, university leaders in seven of the higher education systems in Europe now predict a fall in core national funding as a result of COVID-19, compounding the huge hits universities have taken on rental and commercial services and contractual research. Fourteen national university sectors in Europe have also predicted a fall in income from international students, with travel restrictions limiting student mobility. Estimates of losses to the United Kingdom university sector range from £3 billion (US4.2 billion) to £19 billion (US$26.7 billion) per year as a result of the coronavirus, while the picture is no less bleak across the pond. The University of Michigan alone anticipates losses of up to US$1 billion this year across its three campuses.

LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The artificial intelligence market in the US education sector is expected to post a CAGR of nearly 48% during the period 2018-2022, according to the latest market research report by Technavio. The increasing emphasis on customized learning paths using AI will be one of the major drivers in the global artificial intelligence market in the US education sector. The education system of the US is well developed and teachers and students in the country are aware about AI technology. This increases the adoption of artificial intelligence in the education sectors of the US. Moreover, the growing reliance on machine learning technologies for the collection of data about student performance will contribute to expanding the artificial intelligence market in the US education sector.

India's higher education sector has supplied some of the world's best talent. The CEOs of some of the biggest Fortune 500 companies--Microsoft, Google, Mastercard, and Adobe--are a product of the Indian higher education system. The landscape has also expanded over the past decade--from 436 universities in 2009–10 to 903 in 2017–18 and from 26,000 colleges to over 39,000.1 Student enrolment, at 36.6 million, is the third-largest in the world, next to China and the United States.2 Besides, India is already in the middle of the "demographic dividend" with a surge in its younger and working-age population, which is estimated to become the world's largest by 2030.3 India is expected to account for about 20 percent of the total young talent pool supplied by the non–Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) G-20 countries.4

Higher education has undergone a palpable change in the past decades with the appearance of social media, smartphones and various other technologies on the learning landscape. Artificial Intelligence is one of the key technologies in bringing about this educational overhaul. With its arrival on the scene, we are constantly moving towards smart, personalized automation which promotes productive learning behaviors. A report by the research firm Technavio states that the global market for artificial intelligence in the higher education sector is projected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 39% by 2020! With the rising infiltration of Artificial Intelligence technologies in all walks of life, it is only normal that education followed suit.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming many human activities ranging from daily chores to highly sophisticated tasks. But unlike many other industries, the higher education sector has yet to be really influenced by AI. Uber has disrupted the taxi sector, Airbnb has disrupted the hotel industry and Amazon disrupted first the bookselling sector, then the whole retail industry. It is only a matter of time then until the higher education sector undergoes a significant transformation. Within a few short years, universities may well have changed beyond all recognition.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming many human activities ranging from daily chores to highly sophisticated tasks. But unlike many other industries, the higher education sector has yet to be really influenced by AI. Uber has disrupted the taxi sector, Airbnb has disrupted the hotel industry and Amazon disrupted first the bookselling sector, then the whole retail industry. It is only a matter of time then until the higher education sector undergoes a significant transformation. Within a few short years, universities may well have changed beyond all recognition.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming many human activities ranging from daily chores to highly sophisticated tasks. But unlike many other industries, the higher education sector has yet to be really influenced by AI. Uber has disrupted the taxi sector, Airbnb has disrupted the hotel industry and Amazon disrupted first the bookselling sector, then the whole retail industry. It is only a matter of time then until the higher education sector undergoes a significant transformation. Within a few short years, universities may well have changed beyond all recognition.