Tech Outlook 2026: What Higher Ed Tech Leaders Expect this Year
Rhea Kelly
January 29, 2026
In an open call last month, we asked higher education technology leaders for their predictions on how the tech landscape will change for colleges and universities in the coming year. Not surprisingly, artificial intelligence looms large on the horizon — but advancements in ed tech, data integration, and workforce readiness also remain key topics. Here’s what respondents told us.
Artificial Intelligence Will Go Beyond the Pilot Phase
“Vendors are rapidly embedding AI into almost every layer of higher education software. For institutions, the most immediate and pragmatic value is in AI as an augmentation tool: drafting and summarizing documents, analyzing long reports and contracts, supporting grant development, triaging routine student questions, and powering early alert systems that surface at-risk students sooner and route cases more efficiently. On the academic side, the ‘cat and mouse’ dynamic will continue: Students will keep using AI to assist with assignments, and faculty will continue to refine detection and integrity practices. However, the trend this year should be toward reframing AI as a literate, bounded tool — similar to how calculators and spellcheckers were eventually normalized — by redesigning assignments, clarifying permitted use, and explicitly teaching prompt crafting, verification, and ethical use. Strategically, institutions should expect to invest in faculty and staff development so AI augments work rather than simply adding a new compliance burden.” — Nick Swayne, president, North Idaho College
