AI is changing our lives faster than ever before; it is no longer the future. The changes we will soon face are not linear; they are exponential—and we are already in the middle of the disruptive process.

AI is accelerating human progress and changing our existence in more ways than we know—from how we communicate to how we work and think and learn. If academic institutions continue to fall repeatedly behind the rapid advancement of AI, the gap between relevance and irrelevance will become unbridgeable.

Universities at a Crossroads

In Pakistan, and ASEAN countries in general, higher education is staring at a major challenge; however, at the same time, this is also an historic opportunity to take the next step as we move into the fourth industrial revolution.

Our colleges, the vast majority of which are still based on industrial-age models that have outlived their purpose, must rethink now to survive in the intelligent machines era, or perish.

More Than Just Tools

This change has far-reaching ramifications. Beyond being a learning-enhancing tool, artificial intelligence is redefining what education is. Creativity, problem solving, emotional intelligence, and ethical reasoning are all skills we value more than rote memorization or passive information absorption and cognitive abilities that AI can now fulfill quickly and with more accuracy.

What Makes Us Human

Creativity, empathy, kindness, and ethical decision-making are what define human-human interaction over machine-machine interaction; some cognitive functions will be able to be replicated in a few years.

So, universities are to transform from the centers of knowledge transfer into "labs of humanity," where students explore the meaning of humanity in a machine-dominated world.

We need to bring back emotional resilience, creativity, critical thinking, and moral inquiry. These are the skills that cannot be performed by machines and are thus necessary to be successful and to be a leader in an AI-based society.

Degrees vs. Skills

AI is causing more flexible, targeted, and modular learning methods to quickly overtake the traditional four-year degree, which was once considered to be the gold standard of higher education.

Short, focused programs that teach specific abilities are known as micro-credentials, and their popularity has begun to change the credentials industry. Micro-credentials, as opposed to rigid degree programs, are portable, stackable, and frequently accepted internationally.

Everyone's Competing Now

Platforms such as Coursera, edX, and Khan Academy are now offering AI-powered, internationally competitive education as a result. These programs are accessible to anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection, and many of them are from the best universities in the world.

In this new reality, all Pakistani universities are now in competition with MIT, Stanford, and Tsinghua in addition to other regional institutions. Our institutions' value proposition needs to be reconsidered. What can we provide that a global web platform couldn't?

What Universities Must Do

The Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the universities should act strategically and aggressively; otherwise, their relevance as partners in education will be culture-specific. We need to focus on integrating AI into curricula across disciplines, not just computer science and engineering. Data and machine learning are changing all industries, whether it is humanities, business, health, or agriculture.

Pakistan's Time

This change presents Pakistan with both a unique opportunity and a challenge. With over 60% of its population under 30, Pakistan has the potential to develop into a major knowledge economy if it can act now. AI can help us overcome the historical obstacles of inadequate access and infrastructure by enabling remote delivery of high-quality education.

Time Is Running Out

But we need to be visionary and quick. To create a national "AI in Higher Education" strategy, the HEC, provincial education agencies, and university administration must collaborate. In the absence of this, we run the risk of graduating students who are unfit for the demands of future companies. Private sector partnerships must be promoted in order to build practical AI applications, integrate AI-driven industry insights into curricula, and jointly invest in upskilling the workforce of the future.