‘More coordinated’ investment needed to unlock Asian AI potential

Asian universities already have high levels of “digital maturity” but many need to invest in more advanced technologies to unlock the full potential of artificial intelligence, according to a report.

Institutions in leading economies such as Singapore and Hong Kong are ahead of the pack in adopting new technologies in higher education, including virtual tutors and AI chatbots as well as more personalised learning platforms, according to data collected for Times Higher Education’s Digital Maturity Index.

A paper presented this week at THE’s Asia Universities Summit in Hong Kong draws on responses to a major survey, conducted for the index, collecting answers across eight systems – Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.

“While many institutions have established strong digital foundations, the findings show that sustained AI impact depends on coordinated investment across infrastructure, pedagogy, research capacity, leadership and workforce capability development (training),” it says.

One area of potential weakness identified was around adoption of advanced connectivity. While most of the universities polled offered broadband and campus wi-fi services (77 per cent), only 44 per cent reported having access to a 5G network.

This can constrain “real-time, mobile and data-intensive AI applications”, the report says.

This might partly explain why the adoption of advanced AI and data-intensive tools remained uneven.

Virtual tutors were far less common in Japan and Indonesia, where only 14 per cent and 12 per cent of universities, respectively, said they had them, compared with Singapore and Hong Kong (64 per cent and 46 per cent). For the whole cohort, the adoption of virtual tutors stood at 30 per cent.

Singapore also led on access to high-performance computing and big data infrastructure, vital for AI-assisted research, with 79 per cent, but there was much more limited access elsewhere.

Participation in AI-related professional development was high – Thailand led the way at 86 per cent – but formal recognition of AI competence in appraisal, recruitment and promotion practices remains limited across most systems, except in Singapore, where 73 per cent of universities said it was recognised.

Of the academic staff surveyed across all systems, 66 per cent said their university has a “clear digital transformation strategy”. But the report says mismatches between technology availability and actual use persist.

It recommends that universities “prioritize next-generation digital infrastructure” and weave AI capabilities into leadership and workforce strategies.

AI should also be embedded across the student curriculum, it further recommends, and universities should invest in shared data and computing capacity through national or regional platforms.

“Ultimately, the AI-enabled university of the future will not be defined by uniform models or technologies, but by its ability to harness AI in ways that are student-centered, context-sensitive and inclusive – turning long-standing aspirations for better learning, deeper research and broader opportunity into lived reality,” the report concludes.

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com