At the Uoffer Global EduAI Summit “Educational Innovation for a Changing World,” Benjamin Farquharson, Innovation Consultant at Anything Is Possible and Jagged Edge AI identified three key domains where higher education can harness AI most effectively:
- Marketing: AI-driven personalized messaging at scale, complemented by human-led creative storytelling.
- Recruitment & Admissions: AI-assisted application triage, backed by human relationship-building.
- Operations: AI automation of routine administrative tasks, paired with human strategic decision-making.
Christina Ke, UK Managing Director of Uoffer Global believes that we must move from awareness to action in this AI era. Institutions and higher educational organisations typically begin by using ChatGPT for brainstorming ideas and AI-driven campaign optimization, but the real impact comes when they advance to AI-curated student journeys and AI-augmented student engagement. According to the AI Competency Framework, most people are now “AI Citizens,” but by proactively engaging with AI rather than passively consuming its outputs, they can upskill to become “AI Workers” and even “AI Leaders,” using AI as a springboard for new innovations.
Today’s students want learning that’s tailored to them, engaging, easy to use, and emotionally meaningful. In a roundtable session themed to respond to students’ new expectations in international education in the AI era, Martijn van de Veen from ICEF; Richard Everitt from University of Cambridge; Tim Hubbard from University of East Anglia; Gavin C. from University College Dublin and Anthony Ho from Shanghai University, agreed that to meet these new expectations, technology must be applied in a student-centered way, making education both intelligent and warm.
Lin Yang, the China Managing Director of Uoffer Global highlighted cutting-edge AI developments like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and China’s homegrown DeepSeek. For example, Reuters recently noted that DeepSeek “has claimed it took just two months and cost under $6 million to build an AI model” – a fraction of the cost of Western counterparts. DeepSeek’s rapid rise “challenges the view that scaling AI requires vast computing power” and comes “since ChatGPT kicked off the AI boom in November 2022. These examples underline the global impact of generative AI on international education and technology.
Kiran Patel , Senior Director at China-Britain Business Council shared how institutions can leverage AI to stay competitive in a globalized market. AI is now central to international education. It helps tailor learning, automate routine tasks, and break down language barriers. Examples include the Open University’s adaptive courses that support over 200,000 students globally, The University of Staffordshire’s Beacon chatbot that handles 80% of student inquiries, and FutureLearn’s multi-language offerings that have 17 languages, reaching 15 million learners worldwide. By combining AI with human expertise, institutions can stay competitive and better support students everywhere.
According to Christina Ke, “At Uoffer Global, we’re not chasing the AI hype, we’re focused on what truly drives impact: streamlining the application and conversion process to free up time for deeper student support. While others automate enquiries, we optimise backend workflows so our team can focus on what matters most, helping students plan for their long-term goals, not repetitive tasks.’’ By removing operational friction, we create space for meaningful conversations, personalised guidance, and better outcomes. Smart systems should empower people, not replace them.
Pengfei Zhu, College of Intelligence and Computing, Tianjin University also explained how AI can be utilised in in Higher Education. AI offers powerful tools, from chatbots and personalised MOOCs to campus-wide LLM services and even metaverse classrooms, but it works best when paired with human empathy, ethics, and creativity.
To make this happen, universities and organisations need clear policies, oversight committees, and training programs that ensure AI is transparent, fair, and responsibly integrated into teaching and research. By building both technical expertise and humanistic understanding, institutions can harness AI’s potential while safeguarding student trust and well-being.
