AI gaining foothold in universities

About one-third of higher education institutions in the Asia-Pacific region have taken measures for machine learning, reveals a study by Microsoft Asia and International Data Corporation (IDC) Asia/Pacific.

Funding of the institutions that have implemented Artificial Intelligence (AI) in their academic processes is expected to be increased by four times, the study also said. 

The study titled “Future Ready Skills: Accessing APAC Education Sectors Use of AI” was unveiled at the sixth edition of Asian Summit on Education and Skills (ASES) held in Bengaluru, capital of the Indian state of Karnataka, from September 22 – 24.

“Only 32 per cent of education institutions in the Asia-Pacific have embarked on their AI journey,” said Larry Nelson, regional general manager of education at Microsoft Asia while presenting the study.

“We found that three out of four education leaders agree that AI will be able to drive competitiveness in the next three years,” he said.

“For many institutions, student performance has a direct impact on rankings. AI can be a tool to help better manage outcomes and ensure continued innovation to optimise operations and enhance student engagements, as it reduces resource-intensive work among faculty and administrative staff,” said Nelson.

Some 207 education leaders and 150 education staff from the education sector participated in the study.

Several Asia-Pacific countries, including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, were involved in the study.

The study, however, did not provide any country-specific data on AI initiatives. 

It identified that the education sector in the Asia-Pacific is currently lagging in data, strategy and investment when compared to Asia Pacific’s overall AI readiness.

The study also mentioned that in the next three years, there will be a shortage in the supply of manpower with three skills -- IT skills and programming, digital skills, and quantitative, analytical and statistical skills.

“For institutions that have adopted AI, they are already seeing improvements in the range of 11 percent to 28 percent today in areas such as higher funding, accelerated innovation, higher competitiveness, improve efficiency and better student engagement,” the study said. 

“By 2021, education institutions with AI stand to experience the biggest jump in higher funding, which is expected to increase by 3.7x, higher than most industry sectors in the Asia-Pacific,” it added.

ASES is an annual leadership event dedicated to the education and skills sector. It is an internationally recognised ministerial forum for debating future practice in education.

The event is participated by leaders, policymakers and key education institution representatives from across Asia to discuss challenges and opportunities in policy formulation and implementation in the sector. 

About 300 delegates, including ministers, policymakers and senior education leaders, from 15 countries, including Bangladesh, joined the event.