AI Won't Restore Public Trust in Higher Education. But It Can Help Earn It.

Jun 21

by Claire L. Brady, EdD

Over the past few weeks, I've been reading a series of reports from organizations like AGB and AAC&U about the future of higher education. The topics vary. Enrollment challenges. Political pressures. Affordability. Accountability. Public confidence. Governance.

On the surface, these reports have little to do with artificial intelligence. And yet I kept finding myself writing the same note in the margin: This sounds exactly like the conversation we should be having about AI.

One of the most compelling ideas emerging from AAC&U's new Trust Agenda is that higher education cannot simply defend its value by repeating that it matters. Institutions must demonstrate their trustworthiness through action. They must show evidence of their commitment to students and communities. They must make decisions that align with their mission and values. They must earn trust rather than assume it.

That distinction feels particularly important right now.

For years, higher ed leaders have spent considerable time talking about the value of a college degree. Increasingly, however, the public is asking a different question. They want to know whether institutions are worthy of their trust. They want to see that colleges and universities are responsive, accountable, innovative, transparent, and focused on the public good.

The same shift is happening in conversations about artificial intelligence.

Most institutions are no longer debating whether AI exists or whether it will impact higher education. Faculty are using it. Staff are using it. Students are certainly using it. The question before us is no longer whether AI is part of higher education's future. The question is whether we will approach it in ways that deserve trust.

Too often, AI conversations focus on tools. Which platform should we use? What policy should we write? Which vendor should we select? Those questions matter, but they are secondary to a more fundamental leadership challenge:

How do we make decisions about AI that stakeholders can understand?
How do we communicate those decisions transparently?
How do we ensure AI supports student success rather than creating new barriers?
How do we measure whether our efforts are actually improving outcomes?
How do we remain accountable when things do not go as planned?

Those are not technology questions. They are trustworthiness questions.

What struck me most about both the AGB and AAC&U guidance is that neither organization is calling on institutions to become something entirely different. Instead, they are encouraging leaders to become more intentional about demonstrating value through visible action. The emphasis is on community engagement, innovation, accountability, transparency, and measurable public benefit. In many ways, that is also the roadmap for responsible AI leadership.

When institutions deploy AI to improve accessibility, streamline administrative processes, support advising, strengthen student engagement, or create more personalized learning experiences, they have an opportunity to demonstrate that they can innovate while remaining deeply connected to their mission. When they communicate clearly about what they are doing, why they are doing it, and how they will evaluate success, they reinforce trust rather than undermine it. Conversely, when AI initiatives are rolled out without clear purpose, without stakeholder input, or without meaningful assessment, skepticism grows. The technology itself is rarely the issue. Trustworthiness is.

That is why I increasingly believe that AI leadership and institutional leadership are becoming inseparable. The same qualities that AAC&U identifies as necessary to strengthen public trust in higher education are the qualities that will determine whether AI initiatives succeed: clarity of purpose, transparency, accountability, responsiveness, and a demonstrated commitment to serving students and communities.

Trust is earned through actions, not aspirations.

The institutions that thrive in the years ahead will understand this. They will recognize that AI is not simply a technology strategy. It is an opportunity to demonstrate who they are, what they value, and how they make decisions. In an era when higher education is being asked to prove its worth, every AI decision becomes an opportunity to do exactly that.

One of the reasons I wrote AI with Intention was because I saw institutions becoming consumed by questions about tools while overlooking questions about purpose. The reports from AAC&U and AGB are a reminder that purpose still matters. Trust still matters. Leadership still matters. AI is simply one of the high profile places where those values are being tested and where trust can be demonstrated.

If your institution is wrestling with questions about AI governance, implementation, communication, or strategy, I would encourage you to start with trust. Not because trust is a messaging strategy, but because it is the foundation upon which every successful institutional strategy is built. Ask not what AI can do. Ask what decisions, practices, and commitments will help your institution earn and demonstrate trustworthiness in an era of rapid change. That question sits at the heart of AI with Intention. More importantly, it sits at the heart of higher ed's future.

The institutions that emerge strongest from this moment will not be those with the most sophisticated technology. They will be those that use technology to more effectively advance their mission, serve their students, and earn the trust of their communities, and of the public at large.