Case studies for practical applications of AI in higher ed, non-profits

Higher education institutions are rapidly discovering new applications for artificial intelligence across campus operations, according to insights shared at a recent EDUCAUSE webinar. While many university leaders have expressed uncertainty about where to deploy AI effectively, panelists revealed that potential use cases span virtually every department—from student advising and admissions to research support and IT services. This expanding implementation of AI tools demonstrates how educational institutions are leveraging technology to enhance personalization while simultaneously freeing staff to focus on more meaningful human interactions.

The big picture: Generative AI is helping colleges meet increasing demands for personalization and timely communication while paradoxically enabling more meaningful human-to-human connections throughout campus operations.

Key applications: AI tools are being deployed across multiple critical university functions with measurable results.

• In academic advising, AI chatbots provide students with 24/7 access to institutional information, freeing advisers for more personal interactions—a significant benefit considering Penn State found 94 percent of students who met with advisers returned the following semester compared to 74 percent who didn’t.
• Admissions departments are using AI to manage application volumes, eliminating tedious document processing work while enabling staff to focus on building stronger relationships with prospective students.
• IT departments employ AI to automate common support requests, allowing technical staff to address more complex problems requiring human expertise.

Research impact: AI is transforming how faculty and students conduct academic research and scholarship.

• The University of Washington’s Semantic Scholar project uses machine learning to help researchers sift through millions of scholarly papers, potentially saving months of manual literature review work.
• AI tools are being used to identify knowledge gaps in existing research, suggesting promising new directions for academic inquiry.
• The technology helps researchers connect relevant studies across disparate fields that might otherwise remain siloed.

What they’re saying: Education leaders emphasized AI’s role in enhancing rather than replacing human connection in higher education.

• “We’re not trying to replace the humans with the AI. The human component is essential,” explained Joe Licata, founder and CEO of Canyon GBS.
• Austin Laird of the Gates Foundation noted that AI offers particular value in helping lower-resourced institutions provide personalized student experiences despite limited staffing.

Implementation challenges: Educational institutions face several hurdles when adopting AI technologies.

• Many institutions struggle with “AI implementation FOMO” (fear of missing out), causing them to rush adoption without adequate planning or clear objectives.
• Colleges must navigate privacy and data security concerns while ensuring AI systems serve both students and institutional needs.
• Successful deployment requires administrative buy-in and coordination across traditionally siloed departments.

Why this matters: As higher education faces mounting pressure to demonstrate value and improve student outcomes with constrained resources, AI offers tools that can simultaneously increase personalization and operational efficiency.