How universities are using AI

Move over Siri, there’s another AI voice in town.

O, the moniker for OpenAI’s latest GPT update, has pushed forward the ability to adopt their model into our day-to-day lives. Taking a step beyond simple text generation, ChatGPT-4o can now vocalize its musings and even interact with visual data as if a real human is on the other side of your screen. With developments like this moving at the speed of lightning, it can be daunting and scary for many marketers – especially if you’re a fan of science fiction. However, the reality is that this advancement in technology can improve the efficiency of education marketers across the globe – if used to your advantage.

The market size of AI in education is expected to reach 30 billion dollars by 2032. With such expansive growth in technology, innovative uses of artificial intelligence are permeating through the sector. The first step for those who haven’t already jumped on the bandwagon, is the use of AI to enhance and improve the existing day-to-day functions of university life. Unfortunately, there isn’t a crystal ball to gauge how these technologies will impact our work in the long run, but in the short term there are a number of ways that universities can start implementing AI today.

Chatbots

Trawling through websites and looking for answers is a big demand on students’ time, and responding to individual queries can be an administratively heavy task for the admissions back office. Conveniently, chatbots can bridge the gap between the two.

This is certainly not a novel concept for students. Most websites now have chatbots which have been programmed with rigid responses to frequently asked questions and often fail at personalized solutions to problems. In fact, most chatbots would simply prompt the user to fill out a contact form if the answer was not straight from a FAQ list. However, with the rise of more robust GPT models, answers can now be more personalized, thoughtful, and coherent to the individual situation presented to it.

At present, it’s the preconceived notion that chatbots are incompetent that will be a challenge for universities when implementing the new and improved chatbots. With a recent high school student survey reflecting that only 13% of students used chatbots in their search, it is suggested that up until now students haven’t been too fond of this communication method because of its downfalls. If implementing such a tool, universities should put some thought into how it looks on page. If it comes across as a ‘same-old’ chatbot, then it will probably be treated as such. Also, try and wow the end user from the start of your chatbot communications. This could be done in a fun way to grab attention or by simply stating from the get-go what the student can expect from their chat with the bot.

Personalized Learning

The biggest impact AI has had on higher education when it comes to the classroom is the adoption of hyper-personalized learning. Already, the race is on for companies like Kami and LearningKit, who envision using AI as hundreds, if not thousands of teaching assistants. While grading students will still fall on the desks of educators, submitting student grades and their notes to an AI assistant will help generate more personalized learning materials and lesson plans, at scale. This is a huge step away from traditional models of a “one size fits all” approach, as educational content can now be tailored around any potential learning difficulties and preferred methods of learning. By building such personalized learning schedules, universities can better engage their student body and ultimately look to reduce dropout rates.

Sounds amazing right? But, universities must be wary of the wider auxiliary effects on society. Take for example data collection. AI runs on tremendous amounts of data. Think football fields worth of servers storing and sorting often private information on users. Students are now more wary than ever of their personal data being harvested for advertising purposes and may take issue with AI collecting such private insights into their lives. Personal data used in this way needs to be clear and secure in order to be done ethically, which is something universities should bear in mind.

Meeting Transcription

If you use Microsoft Teams, then you may have already noticed Microsoft’s CoPilot waiting in the wings. By clicking on the little CoPilot icon, you can ask the AI to continually make notes on what is being said in the meeting. No more trying to decipher ineligible shorthand post-meeting, as you can conveniently walk away with a comprehensive summary of who said what and even the action points you have assigned to each individual. Neat.

Taking it even further, you can now prompt the tool to even suggest thought provoking questions based upon the discussion. If you’re fretting over the fact you haven’t contributed to a meeting in a while, this is an easy way to get inspiration of what to say or questions to ask so you can add to the discussion.

If you’re more of a Zoom or Webex user, fear not, as companies like TurboScribe and Speechmatics exist purely for the sake of meeting transcription. All you have to do is download the software onto your computer and you’ve landed yourself an incredibly helpful assistant. Its capabilities fall short of bringing you coffee though.

Incorporating AI into higher education marketing isn’t just about keeping up with trends—it’s about revolutionizing how we connect with and support students. From smarter chatbots that provide personalized assistance to hyper-personalized learning experiences that cater to individual needs, AI is transforming the higher ed landscape. By embracing these AI tools, HEI’s can enhance their strategies, drive meaningful engagement, and ultimately improve the student experience.

Need some assistance when it comes to implementing AI into your marketing strategy? See the below articles to read our insights.