AI shift touches every part of university life

Dr Jeremy Smith, Dean of the Institute of Education and Humanities at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, recently spoke at the Vatican on the role of universities in times of rapid technological change. He told the 10th International Congress of Scholas Occurrentes Chairs in Rome how universities are adapting to the challenges and here emphasises the need to thoughtfully integrate AI into university life

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THE question before us - "What concrete actions are universities taking to integrate advances in digitisation and artificial intelligence?" - is not just timely. It is urgent.

Artificial Intelligence is far more than a technological development. It is transforming the contexts in which human creativity, collaboration, and responsibility unfold.

As universities, our responsibility must be to accompany our students in developing the adaptability and ethical grounding necessary to ensure that AI systems serve, not shape, human meaning and well-being.

At a minimum, this means considering how we prepare students for roles that may not yet exist, in industries that are evolving faster than our curricula, and in workplaces where intelligent systems are embedded into everyday tasks.

It also means skills adaptation.

Recent global data shows that over 70% of employers now prioritise candidates with AI-related skills, even in nontechnical roles.

From finance and healthcare to marketing and education, graduates are expected to be digitally fluent, comfortable with intelligent systems, and capable of solving complex problems in real-world contexts. In the UK, entry-level roles are increasingly being replaced by positions requiring AI-enhanced capabilities.

Yet AI skills alone are not enough. Workplaces still need graduates who can combine digital fluency with human strengths. Our society still needs empathy, ethical reasoning, and emotional resilience.

While AI can process data, generate content, and simulate decision-making, it cannot (yet?) replace the depth of the human experience.