AI in Higher Education: Insights into Current Challenges and Perspectives

From July 21 to 23, 2025, the first AI Lab of the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung (HFD) will take place in Münster. Also taking part is the ComAI project “Communicative AI for Teaching and Learning”, which is providing academic support for the AI Lab.

From July 21 to 23, 2025, the first AI Lab of the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung (HFD) will take place in Münster. The aim of this new format is to bring together and further develop strategic and practice-oriented perspectives on the use of artificial intelligence in higher education. Also taking part is the ComAI project “Communicative AI for Teaching and Learning”, which is providing academic support for the AI Lab.

Ahead of the event, Veronika Graceva and Anna-Lena Kramer from ifib offer a first look at the topics currently engaging participating universities in a new blog post. One thing is clear: AI is no longer a distant future issue—it already shapes teaching, learning, research, and university organization in many ways, often creating urgent need for action.

In their post, the authors group the questions and challenges brought in by the approximately 30 participants into thematic clusters. These range from the sustainable development of AI-supported infrastructures to strategic governance and change management, as well as AI competence development, didactic concepts, and new exam formats. Always in view: issues of equity, digital sovereignty, and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Particular attention is paid to the question of how AI can be responsibly, technically soundly, and ethically integrated into the complex structures of higher education institutions. Many of the issues discussed at the AI Lab also reflect the research focus of the ComAI project—for example, on the governance of communicative AI, the role of administrative systems, or the perspective of students.

You can read the full blog post by Veronika Graceva and Anna-Lena Kramer at hochschulforumdigitalisierung.de