Summary
This report, commissioned by the Higher Education Authority (HEA), captures sector-wide perspectives on the impact of generative AI across Irish higher education. Through ten thematic focus groups and a leadership summit, it gathered insights from academic staff, students, support personnel, and leaders. The findings show that AI is already reshaping teaching, learning, assessment, and governance, but institutional responses remain fragmented and uneven. Participants emphasised the urgent need for national coordination, values-led policies, and structured capacity-building for both staff and students.
Key cross-cutting concerns included threats to academic integrity, the fragility of current assessment practices, risks of skill erosion, and unequal access. At the same time, stakeholders recognised opportunities for AI to enhance teaching, personalise learning, support inclusion, and free staff time for higher-value educational work. A consistent theme was that AI should not be treated merely as a technical disruption but as a pedagogical and ethical challenge that requires re-examining educational purpose.
Key Points
- Sectoral responses to AI are fragmented; coordinated national guidance is urgently needed.
- Generative AI challenges core values of authorship, originality, and academic integrity.
- Assessment redesign is necessary—moving towards authentic, process-focused approaches.
- Risks include skill erosion in writing, reasoning, and information literacy if AI is overused.
- AI literacy for staff and students must go beyond tool use to include ethics and critical thinking.
- Ethical use of AI requires shared principles, not just compliance or detection measures.
- Inclusion is not automatic: without deliberate design, AI risks deepening inequality.
- Staff feel underprepared and need professional development and institutional support.
- Infrastructure challenges extend beyond tools to governance, procurement, and policy.
- Leadership must shape educational vision, not just manage risk or compliance.
Conclusion
Generative AI is already embedded in higher education, raising urgent questions of purpose, integrity, and equity. The consultation shows both enthusiasm and unease, but above all a readiness to engage. The report concludes that a coordinated, values-led, and inclusive approach—balancing innovation with responsibility—will be essential to ensure AI strengthens, rather than undermines, Ireland’s higher education mission.
Keywords
Generative AI, Higher Education, Teaching and Learning, Assessment, Academic Integrity, AI Literacy, Ethical AI, Inclusion, Policy, Leadership