The 2027 Educause Top 10 Encourages Universities to Determine Where AI Adds Real Value

IBL News | Denver, Colorado

The higher education industry is still grappling with what AI-driven change means for institutions and where this technology adds real value. Overall, AI is embodying the idea that “we are living in an age of perpetual change.”

This is the main conclusion of the annual EDUCAUSE Top 10 list, unveiled yesterday at this year’s annual conference in Denver, Colorado.

After years of rapid, often reactive experimentation with generative tools, the message from the authors of the Top 10 is clear: institutions must establish where technology adds genuine value while keeping human experiences at the center of digital transformation, cutting through the AI hype.

The consensus among higher education technology leaders gathered at the Colorado Convention Center is that survival requires a deliberate pivot away from chasing the next tech trend and toward structural stability, ethical AI integration, and the human element of the campus community.

These are the top ten issues:

1. Determining where AI adds real value

2. Future-proofing students for a volatile world

3. Balancing cybersecurity boundaries with autonomy and trust

4. Designing AI structures for responsible innovation

5. Designing human-centric technology experiences

6. Working creatively within real-world constraints

7. Building a strong and adaptive data governance backbone

8. Measuring and navigating enrollment shifts

9. Meeting stakeholders where they are with AI

10. Reducing friction for more seamless technology experiences

John O’Brian, President and CEO of Educause — who is retiring this year — introduced the Top 10 report as the community’s voice. “The value is what we do together,” he explained.

Mark McCormick, Interim Vice President of Research, Insight and Analytics, explained the report’s findings, noting that “change is hard but no bad,” in reference to the impact of AI in the higher education industry.

Brad D. Smith, President of Marshall University, set the tone of the report by encouraging educators to “seize the opportunity of AI to avoid becoming a relic.” He added, “It’s a creative destruction period. We have the chance to do something incredible.”