“What concrete actions are universities taking to integrate advances in digitisation and artificial intelligence?”
This thought piece is drawn from a keynote address recently delivered by Dr Jeremy Smith, Dean of the Institute of Education and Humanities at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), at the 10th International Congress of Scholas Occurrentes Chairs in Rome.
Speaking at the Vatican on the global role of universities in an age of rapid technological change, Dr Smith explored how higher education must respond to the accelerating impact of Artificial Intelligence with both urgency and moral purpose. As AI increasingly reshapes the nature of work, learning and society, his reflections highlight why universities now face one of the most significant educational transformations of our time: not only to equip graduates with emerging digital and AI-related skills, but also to safeguard human creativity, ethics and meaning at the heart of education.
The following piece shares and expands upon the ideas discussed in Rome, offering a values-led perspective on leading with purpose in an AI-driven world.
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 non-technical 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. Our capability to imagine, to question, and to construct meaning - these are all uniquely human attributes, central to how we think, create, and care about what truly matters for living a good life.
This redefines what we mean by graduate readiness. It is not simply about proficiency; it is about the presence of purpose and meaning. This is what we must seek to preserve and elevate in our teaching if we are to ensure that students are not only users of technology but are also thinkers, artists, and citizens who can shape its purpose.
Take creativity for example. In an AI-driven world, the ability to generate original ideas, to connect disparate concepts, and to challenge assumptions becomes even more valuable. Our curricula must nurture creative confidence, encouraging students to use AI not to replicate what exists, but to imagine what could be.
As recent Vatican reflections remind us, intelligence in the human sense is embodied, relational, and moral. Yes, AI may imitate some intellectual outputs, but it cannot think, discern, or love. It is and remains a product of human intelligence, not an artificial form of it. And while AI is a new technological frontier, it also holds up a mirror to our humanity, asking what is meaningful and what is worthwhile to pursue.
Some are embedding AI across disciplines, not just in computing but in business, law, psychology, education, and the arts; realigning curricula with workplace needs through co-designed programmes and experiential learning. Others are fostering hands-on learning, including AI-driven projects, simulations, and hackathons. Universities are creating AI credentials and micro-certifications, often in partnership with tech companies; and supporting non-technical students to ensure AI platforms for education are accessible and inclusive.
Our task is not only to ensure academic integrity but to exercise ethical stewardship of knowledge in ways that uphold the dignity of every person and the common good. Universities cannot do this with caution, but boldly, with a sense of urgency.
In Wales, at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, we are taking a proactive, values-led approach to the integration of Artificial Intelligence in higher education. Our mission is to transform lives and communities through education, and that mission remains unchanged, even as the tools and the world around us evolve.
We began by recognising that AI is not just a technology shift; it is a culture shift. It touches every part of our university life, from curriculum design, assessment and student support to staff development and institutional strategy.
Since early 2024, we have delivered targeted training to nearly 400 academic and professional staff, helping them understand generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot, and how these can be used ethically and effectively in teaching and assessment.
We have launched AI literacy programmes for students, focusing on responsible use, critical thinking, and digital fluency. These sessions are embedded into induction, careers support, and discipline-specific modules. We have also published clear guidance for both staff and students about what AI is and, importantly, about how to use it ethically, creatively, and critically.
Because we are not preparing students for a world that will be shaped by AI. We are educating them within one that is already transforming, and so we are doing what we can to ensure that they are in the driving seats of that transformation.
In doing so, we are also seeking to protect the irreplaceable dignity of each participant in our learning communities. AI tools can support learning, but they must not flatten the rich diversity of perspectives that emerge from different histories, cultures, and lived experiences. Each student contributes a unique voice to our collective understanding. Our role is to ensure that AI enriches rather than diminishes the diverse voices in this dialogue.
Since September 2024, all assessments at UWTSD have included explicit guidance on the allowable use of AI. This includes topics such as researching with AI, writing with AI, proofreading with AI, programming with AI, structuring with AI, and the creative use of AI tools. This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Our module leaders decide what is appropriate based on learning outcomes and industry needs. Students are given clear expectations, and staff are supported to design assessments that reflect the realities of an AI-powered world.
We are also reviewing our curriculum to ensure that AI-related skills, such as prompt engineering, data ethics, and algorithmic bias, are embedded across disciplines.
We have created a “Learn–Adapt–Adopt–Develop” model to guide our institutional journey. This means learning about AI tools and their implications, adapting existing practices to integrate AI in our provision, adopting AI where it adds value, and then developing our own AI-enhanced solutions in time.
We have appointed AI champions across faculties to support innovation and share best practice. Live events, workshops, and roundtables allow staff to showcase how they are using AI to enhance learning, improve feedback, and support student wellbeing. We are also exploring AI-powered analytics to improve student retention and personalise support, while ensuring transparency and fairness in how data is used.
We are absolutely clear that AI must be used ethically and equitably. Our policies are evolving to reflect this, including updates to academic integrity, assessment design, and digital inclusion. We are asking strategic questions across the university: What should every graduate know about AI? What skills will they need to thrive in a changing job market? How do we support staff to engage confidently and ethically? Are our systems and quality frameworks ready for this shift? And perhaps most importantly: what are the consequences of doing too little, too late?
At UWTSD, we are committed to this human-centred approach, an approach that places people, not machines, at the absolute heart of education. This means designing systems that support human flourishing, uphold dignity, and foster creativity, not just efficiency. It is, as our University mission says, about transforming lives through transforming education.
The rise of generative AI is a challenge, yes, but it is also an opportunity. An opportunity to rethink how we teach, how we assess, and how we prepare students for a world that is changing faster than ever before.
We may not have all the answers, but we are asking the right questions. And we are building the foundations strategically, ethically, and collaboratively for a future in which AI enhances, not replaces, the values at the heart of our mission.
As Pope Francis reminds us, “In this age of artificial intelligence, we cannot forget that poetry and love are necessary to save our humanity.”
Let us therefore innovate not only with skill, but with wisdom of the heart.
Let us not only teach with courage, but lead with compassion.
Let us remember that the future of education lies not in algorithms, but in the minds and hearts of those who learn.
Further Information
Arwel Lloyd
Principal PR and Communications Officer
Corporate Communications and PR
Email: arwel.lloyd@uwtsd.ac.uk
Phone: 07384 467076