Are We Prepared for the AI Future?

Our society's fascination with Artificial Intelligence is strongly rooted in science fiction films, video games and novels. For many that brand of AI suggests a dark future where robots could destroy the world, replace humans in the workplace and create dystopic societies.  But what about in real life? "Artificial Intelligence" research is decades old having its origins in late 19th century Europe. The movement took shape at Dartmouth College in 1955 when John McCarthy coined the term. By 1979, the American Association of Artificial Intelligence, now the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence, was formed.  

Although history reveals that AI research has universal guidelines and principles and is not controlled by a group of mad scientists, modern nationalism is deeply involved in its development and deployment. AI has applications in almost every facet of human life including health, media, education, film sustainability, transportation/mobility, national security and war. Gaining an edge in AI technology has contrasts to the 1960s space race and 1970s nuclear missile proliferation. It is the greatest challenge of the twenty-first century.

On the world stage, the United States is engaged in AI competition with China, India, the European Union, and the Global South. American based companies are ahead in this race as are its universities, with the US producing the greatest number of doctoral students in the field.  Yet, close behind is China, and it has the capacity to overtake the US by producing more energy efficient AI engines.  Educationally, China has the greatest number of students, on all levels, taking AI related courses.  Surprisingly, with nations locked in such an intense struggle, one might think that American universities would establish national polices and best practices to maintain its dominance. 

However, this is not the case. American institutions vary in their levels of engagement. More than half of the presidents, provosts and other higher education leaders who participated in an American Association of Colleges and Universities and Elon University survey, said “a lack of faculty familiarity at their institution was posing a considerable challenge to the adoption of AI tools”.  However, students expect more - according to a Digital Educational Council survey, 59% of students expect their university to increase the technology’s use in teaching and learning.  

My university, like many others, has limited AI policies or guidelines and no recommendation for faculty usage in course instruction.  Outsiders, including the business world and parents of college bound students, could argue that this trend counters the consensus that college graduates increasingly need AI skills and minimizes that an overwhelming majority of employers believe that American colleges and universities should expose students to AI and its practical uses. 

Yet, I think it is good that instructors are allowed to formulate their own policies. The academy needs to treat AI like all previous technological advances and develop the correct pedagogical approaches. Faculty are encouraged to use Perkins, Furze, Roe and MacVaugh’s AI Assessment Scale (2024)  to assist in developing individual guidelines for classroom use. It is suggested, but not recommended, that faculty inform students of the impact of AI on their work and its potential shortcomings. And, of course, there is a section on AI in the academic dishonesty policy.

However, the underlying conclusion is that faculty themselves may not know enough about AI to make sound decisions. Studies, like the one mentioned above, have shown that many college faculty are not AI savvy and only see AI connected with student cheating. Not just in higher education but P-12 educators require greater AI training. 

Where I think the academy is at fault is in the pace of its actions. AI is not the internet or the calculator. It is moving at a speed far beyond anything we have ever seen. Faculty training needs to match the rapid response of the COVID vaccine or the development of the atomic bomb. Otherwise American students will be left far behind. 

This is a reason why we need a Department of Education and academic minded not a business minded Secretary of Education. AI requires an inclusion into the P-20 curriculum that needs an immediate buy-in from educators. A potential sign of hope was the announcement of a federal AI policy, "Winning the AI Race: America's AI Action Plan" on July 23rd. https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/07/white-house-unveils-americas-ai-action-plan/

Unfortunately, the 28-page document does not have a section specifically devoted to education. Instead, it has sections addressing China, energy, construction of facilities and infrastructure, and the expansion of AI innovation. It is hard to imagine but perhaps reading between the lines there might be glimpses of hope.

As Brookings reported: President Donald Trump first directed high-level officials to develop the plan in one of his early executive orders on January 23, 2025, seeking to create a roadmap to “sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.” Media, including Brookings, Bloomberg, The Hill, Tech Policy Press, and the Miami Herald, were skeptical of the plan noting that it favored technology companies but did not truly benefit the American people. 

Brookings fellow Darrell West was critical in regards to the report's omission of support for higher education. West pointed out that the federal government's cuts to research hurt higher education and thus would weaken the prime area needed in AI superiority.  He wrote: "...America can’t achieve those goals without vibrant higher education support. Universities have long played a crucial role in research and development (R&D). The National Science Foundation (NSF) and many other federal agencies have supported academic research that accelerated the internet, algorithms, wireless technology, and quantum computing, among other advances. It is fair to say the United States would not have the competitive advantage it has today without universities." 

West continued saying: "The biggest issue in the unveiling of the chief executive’s AI Action Plan is that it ignores other current actions that are harming the research and innovation ecosystems. Universities have lost important federal grants, foreign students face obstacles in studying in the United States, immigrants are being discouraged from entering our country, and academics are being punished based on their political views. It will be challenging for America to remain competitive in scientific innovation if there is inadequate support for higher education, a weakening of support for R&D, and restrictions on a talent pool that requires smart people from around the world."

The focus on the AI future cannot be left to Apple, Microsoft and others. It has to start in the pre-school giving imagination to the student who can envision a future that can be programmed before they reach college. The college student needs to be an AI native so that the businessperson will be an AI expert. The best students require knowledgeable teachers. Right now that does not exist. If my colleagues want to solely punish their students for using AI, all is already lost. The AI revolution must start with the public schools and then migrate to the colleges and universities. This means a reversal of dollars for higher education research and the refocus on the academy. College and university presidents need to electrify their base. We have a call to action!