Rebecca Quintana speaks with Inside Higher Ed about predictions for AI’s impact on higher education in 2026
Despite remaining high expectations and optimism, Quintana predicts a shift toward a period of disillusionment with AI.
Since November 2022, when Open AI’s ChatGPT went mainstream, higher education has grappled with the power of generative artificial intelligence to reshape research, teaching, learning and campus operations, reports Inside Higher Ed.
From initial fears that students would use ChatGPT to cheat, to adopting AI-powered tools, to forging partnerships with AI companies, higher education’s relationship with AI is quickly evolving.
In 2026, Clinical Associate Professor Rebecca Quintana predicts that “we may soon be entering [a period] of disillusionment as educators and institutions more seriously grapple with the costs associated with AI use, including environmental and societal impacts.” Because the technology is evolving so quickly, she notes that our understanding of what AI looks like in teaching and learning contexts will almost certainly be very different even two years from now.
“Faculty, students and administrators should also be prepared for a growing resistance to AI use within higher education contexts. While there may have been initial curiosity or even enthusiasm for the use of these tools, many are becoming weary of the additional challenges that AI introduces to contexts of teaching and learning.”
