AI may well handle tasks that were once the domain of experts, but that only heightens the importance of higher education. After all, if machines can operate at the level of execution, it is up to universities to prepare professionals who can interpret, critique, decide, create and co-exist in diverse and unpredictable environments. AI expands our technical capacity, but it is human intelligence that provides direction, meaning and responsibility. So, while we may continue to hear executives predicting the end of universities, reality points in another direction. Far from disappearing, higher education has the chance to reinvent itself and reaffirm its relevance in this new era. Education has never been and will never be about merely training people to perform functions. The truth is that we don’t need to choose between humans and machines. Instead, we must ensure that technology serves as an ally in unleashing the full potential of human beings. In this, the real danger for society does not lie with predictions of higher education’s demise, but in embracing a narrow vision of humanity, where people are reduced to replaceable cogs in a digital machine. The task ahead is, therefore, both urgent and hopeful. Universities must not limit themselves to reacting defensively to technological change. Instead, they should embrace their historical role as shapers of the future. By integrating AI into their missions with intentionality and ethical clarity, they can ensure that technology amplifies, rather than diminishes, the human capacity for critical thought, empathy and creativity. The convergence between AI and higher education is not a distant scenario; it is already unfolding. What remains is to decide whether this convergence will be guided by short-term efficiency or by a deeper vision of human flourishing and collective progress.
Lastly, achieving strategic clarity requires acknowledging that the mission of education is to prepare human beings for a world in permanent transformation. This means rethinking curricula, teaching methods and assessment models, giving priority not only to technical mastery but also to resilience, imagination and empathy. AI may provide unprecedented tools for personalisation and efficiency, but only institutions that are fully aware of their mission will be able to channel those tools towards broader human purposes. Ultimately, the challenge is not technological but philosophical and we must ask ourselves what kind of society we wish to build and how education can serve as the driving force of that collective project. Reinvention & reaffirmation The institutions that succeed will be those that balance technological innovation with inclusion, ethics and a humanising approach. Meanwhile, those that cling to outdated formats without questioning their mission or engaging with new tools risk becoming obsolete. The blame for such obsolescence would not lie with AI, but rather with an institution’s lack of strategic clarity about what education is meant to deliver in a rapidly changing society.
Rodrigo Cintra is executive director of innovation and customer experience at ESPM in Brazil, where he leads initiatives that integrate academic excellence and market practices, focusing on innovation and customer-centric strategies
24 Business Impact • ISSUE 5 • 2025
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online