4 Ways Higher Education Institutions Can Own Their AI Narratives
As an advisor to college presidents, I’ve had a front-row seat to the existential challenges pushing America’s universities into the spotlight. While political controversies grab headlines, a quieter revolution is reshaping classrooms, labs, and faculty meetings. More than rising tuition, student protests, or funding cuts, AI threatens to upend the university experience—unless higher education leaders address this transformation head-on through bold and clear communications.
Some universities are adapting quickly. Faculty are experimenting with AI-infused assignments, such as collaborating with faculty researchers to help train language models or utilizing AI chats to model Socratic dialogues. Departments are building new interdisciplinary tracks, and career services are rethinking how to prepare graduates for jobs that don’t yet exist. But here’s the problem: outside campus gates, almost no one knows this is happening.
That invisibility can be dangerous. Without a positive, university-led counternarrative, the public hears that 80% of today’s college students receive no structured AI support, that AI is “destroying” college writing, or that “everyone is cheating their way through college.” The academic implementation of AI is underway, but without proactive and consistent communication, the story remains fragmented—filled with hype, fear, and misinformation.
AI poses a reputational threat to universities if they don’t grapple with the messaging.
At the same time, AI is shaping the way communicators think about effectively deploying this messaging. News site traffic is down nearly 50% in three years as Google’s AI-generated answers satisfy audience inquiries before they even click a link. Publishers are pivoting toward newsletters, live events, and audience-segmented media like podcasts and Substacks. In this environment, if institutions aren’t telling their own AI stories through trusted channels, they will simply disappear from the AI conversation.
4 Ways higher education institutions can own their AI narratives
Fortunately, there is a clear path for universities to take ownership of their AI transformation narratives.
- The first step is to demystify and clarify the institutional AI story. Universities are complex, and AI initiatives are often scattered across labs, departments, and administrative units. Communications teams can map these efforts, distill the through-line, and frame it in a cohesive way that resonates beyond campus walls. AI must become part of the university’s brand, not an afterthought.
- For university leaders and administrators, this means highlighting how core institutional values, such as critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and adaptability, are evolving in the AI era. It’s about making that connection central to the institution’s vision for the next 5, 10, 30 years.
- Equally important is empowering the right messengers. Faculty carry credibility, but may lack visibility into the larger institutional strategy that provides context to their individual work. A centralized communications strategy can ensure faculty insights and research connect back to the broader institutional narrative. Once a tailored, intentional communications program is in place—with a unified vision and designated spokespeople—faculty can serve as public voices through op-eds, podcasts, and talks. In doing so, they can show how AI enriches the classroom while reinforcing the university’s mission.
- For example, parents and students concerned about the ROI of a college degree could benefit from hearing how students are engaging with AI in a classroom setting in a way that mimics how they would be expected to use AI in the workplace. A paid interview series on a parenting or career-focused podcast helps ensure that the message is directly delivered to this specific audience.
Similar to a corporate communications strategy, universities should pursue a multichannel and sustained communications plan to amplify these messages and voices. A cadence of thought leadership pieces, newsletters, and social campaigns should work together to reinforce a consistent, human-centered message about AI’s role on campus. All content should be shared in a way that the audience can best understand and in a place they can be reached.
By connecting AI initiatives to institutional purpose, empowering credible voices, and delivering consistent, audience-centered messaging across channels, higher education institutions can be a thoughtful leader in the AI era. They can also demonstrate their role in preparing students for a future where technological skill requirements are constantly evolving.
AI is not just reshaping classrooms—it’s reshaping career paths and public perception of higher education’s relevance. Institutions whose leaders speak first, speak clearly, and speak often shape not only their institution’s role in this transformation, but higher education’s place in the AI-powered world.
Our Education PR team brings deep expertise in elevating organizations, foundations, and higher education institutions while helping clients navigate challenges such as access to quality education from birth, teacher workforce support, enrollment, fundraising, and government oversight. To learn more about how we can support your communications strategy, reach out to partnerships@orchestraco.com.
