What is to be done? It’s a question which every university in the world has asked about ‘artificial intelligence’ since the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022.
92% of UK undergraduates have now used language models and 88% have used them in assessment (HEPI 2025). This software has become ubiquitous without being normalised. Its use is mainstream amongst staff and students but there is a complete lack of agreement about what constitutes appropriate and inappropriate use.
The result is a multidimensional crisis of trust. Staff don’t trust students. Students don’t trust staff. Students don’t trust students. Staff don’t trust staff. Trust breaks down slowly at first, then all at once.
The AI Crisis in Higher Education argues that universities are caught between two agendas which each undercut the other: adapting to language models in order to secure assessment, and integrating them in order to stay relevant. It makes the case for strategic under-integration while the investment bubble plays out, and for building the capability to cope with change. It is not beyond our capabilities as a sector.
The book is open access and free to read: manchester.pressbooks.pub/the-ai-crisis-in-higher-education
This trailer was written and produced by a language model (Claude), working from the manuscript. Most of the words are mine. If you found yourself wondering who made it while you watched, that is the problem the book is about.
