Post by Fulcrum Digital Inc

Most universities have deployed AI tools in student services. Very few have built their services around AI. That gap has real consequences. - 77% of higher ed administrators say their institution is not ready for what generative AI demands. - 80% of faculty and staff are already using it daily. - Only 19% of institutions have a formal AI policy covering any of it. The result: answers that go stale, no clear accountability when a student gets wrong guidance at 11 pm, and shadow AI operating outside any oversight structure. Meanwhile, the EU AI Act classifies AI-assisted admissions systems and student performance analytics as high-risk. FERPA imposes hard constraints on how student data moves through third-party systems. Institutions running AI in student-facing roles without mapped data governance are already exposed, not heading toward exposure. Georgia State defined data ownership, built accountability structures, and committed to the operating model over years. That's how they reduced summer melt by 21%. The 2026 operating model for AI-native student services comes down to three decisions that have to be made before any tool goes live: who owns the data feeding the AI, who owns the conduct of AI-student interactions, and what triggers handoff to a human advisor. With a 13% projected enrollment decline through 2041, these are financial sustainability decisions. We broke down what it takes to move from AI-assisted to AI-native in higher education. https://lnkd.in/edNCYyeU #HigherEd #EnterpriseAI #AIGovernance