2026 Predictions for AI and Ed Tech: What Industry Leaders Are Saying

• By Rhea Kelly
• 01/29/26

In an open call last month, we asked education-serving industry leaders to weigh in on how developments in AI and ed tech will impact colleges and universities in the coming year. Many of their responses centered on artificial intelligence and education technology. Here's what they told us.

AI Will Impact Enrollment, Accessibility, Student Support, and More

"In 2026, forward-thinking colleges and universities will make the data they already have work better for them, and for their students. For years, institutions have collected rich signals about student preparedness through assessments, transcripts, and applications. Too often, that information is siloed once a student enrolls. As many colleges continue to face enrollment headwinds, savvy leaders will put their data to work, to ensure they can retain students from day one. Rather than waiting for failure signals several weeks — or semesters — in, institutions will use AI to ingest admissions data along other critical inputs to build a day-one plan. Students will arrive on campus with a customized academic plan that includes anticipated support, course sequencing, and career-relevant insights to ensure success. In 2026, the institutions that stabilize enrollment will be those that treat admissions data not as a static snapshot, but as a living foundation for student success — using trusted assessments and AI together to move from access to completion, and from intent to outcomes." — Steve Tapp, CEO, ACT

"By 2026, AI will begin to move out of the margins of higher education, and the first examples of what the next 'operating model' for AI in higher ed will look like. Rather than existing as chatbots or pilot tools, AI will start to show up as more deeply integrated infrastructure at a small — but growing — number of institutions. In these early cases, AI will be embedded across advising, career navigation, and student services, enabling personalization at a scale human-only systems can't reach. Successful institutions won't be those trying to replace faculty or advisors, but those using AI to extend their reach, leveraging it to handle routine, high-volume interactions so staff can focus on complex, high-touch student needs. At the same time, institutions should expect more pressure to demonstrate real-world outcomes from their AI use. Early adopters will illustrate how AI systems that connect learning to labor market data, employer expectations, and career pathways can strengthen student success and institutional relevance. The real divide in 2026 won't simply be between AI adopters and non-adopters, but between institutions experimenting with isolated tools and those beginning to integrate AI thoughtfully into their mission." — Jared Chung, founder and executive director, CareerVillage

"By 2026, AI will be firmly out of its novelty phase in higher ed. (And, it will stop being just a cheating tool.) The early-wave use cases — characterized by 'point-in-time' tasks like summarization or suggesting — will give way to tasks that are genuinely difficult for humans and traditional software alike, like pulling together fragmented sources of information and connecting them into coherent, usable insights. As a result, the most impactful AI tools will look less like productivity hacks and more like librarians — capable of cataloguing, curating, and maintaining vast collections of data and connecting people to knowledge. And as its capabilities mature, AI will increasingly serve as the connective tissue between teaching, learning, and student success, rather than just an add-on or a looming academic integrity concern." — Tony Frey, CEO, Mainstay

"AI adoption in higher education is rapidly moving from experimentation to expectation, but is blocked by a foundational problem: Today's institutions operate a fragmented ecosystem of disjointed systems. This digital maze severely limits AI's capacity to deliver immediate, contextual support because legacy systems historically lack the comprehensive API access and data externalization required for modern integration. As a result, 2026 will be defined by institutions needing to collapse their ecosystem into a seamless digital experience layer providing a unified means of access for resource indexation and orchestration. Simultaneously, a new wave of AI-based ed tech companies will enter the market with a standardized 'walled garden' strategy. When their AI needs information from an institution's existing systems, they will pressure institutions to move that data into their new environment, creating a conditional promise: The AI can see everything, but only if it lives inside the AI's system. This approach freezes out institutions that cannot afford a costly, disruptive overhaul, particularly as these vendors avoid the hard work of integrating with complex legacy systems. The future of scaled AI adoption depends on a unified approach to access and orchestration that empowers every system already in place." — Chris Hagan, chief technology officer, Pathify

"In 2026, higher education institutions will increasingly apply technologies such as AI to enable accessibility, in part due to the April 2026 deadline for large public institutions to meet updated ADA accessibility guidelines for all web content, including vendor apps. Some institutions are already using AI to scan for non-compliance, insert alt text and video captions, and automatically correct other issues. But while AI can accelerate these specific technical tasks, these efforts only go so far. Research shows that automated methods only catch at most 40% of compliance violations. As a result, many will discover that achieving compliance requires more than just technology. It requires the creation of an ongoing culture of accessibility that includes strong leadership commitment, funding, comprehensive training, policy changes and — perhaps most importantly — holding vendors accountable. Misleading claims and shortcuts from vendors who provide tools that don't provide true accessibility will have real consequences for institutions, learners, and professional educators. Expect to see universities more closely evaluate whether classroom-oriented ed tech tools meet required accessibility standards." — Dave Tucker, CEO, Genio

"As institutions face real enrollment headwinds, integrating AI is critical to sustaining the enrollment ecosystem. AI is already delivering guidance to prospective students. In 2026, more admissions teams will tap into AI's real-time insights to understand intent, identify friction, and support students as well. Ultimately, the goal is a powerful feedback loop where admissions intelligence informs recruitment marketing strategy, allowing institutions to communicate with and convert students with greater precision. The blending of prospective students, admissions, and marketing into one AI-enabled ecosystem will help shape the next era of recruitment and enrollment. Organic content strategy will become non-negotiable to drive enrollment traffic and inquiries in the wake of AI's massive impact on search. Successful institutions are already rethinking how they build visibility, authority, and differentiation in the evolving environment. This means creating high-quality content, including students' experiences and faculty expertise in AI-friendly formats, and distributing content where domain authority already exists. Successful use of AI requires due diligence. AI is only as good as the data on which the LLMs are built. Admissions teams that invest in strong data quality and a sound content strategy in 2026 will have the foundations for success." — John Van Fleet, CMO, Archer Education

"As evolving U.S. immigration policies put added pressure on international student enrollments, 2026 will demand unprecedented resilience and operational clarity from higher education. While global demand for U.S. degrees remains strong — as educational quality and long-term career outcomes outweigh political swings — anticipated changes to duration of status, OPT, and H-1B pathways will require robust compliance and proactive communication to help students navigate the shifting policy landscape. Diversification will gain new urgency. Universities will expand recruitment efforts across a broader set of countries to invest in global partnerships that can help stabilize enrollment pipelines. These partnerships — covering research collaborations, dual-degree programs, exchange initiatives, in-country recruitment and employer pathways — are becoming central strategic assets for de-risking enrollment and improving ROI. In 2026, AI will play a transformative role in this evolution. Institutions will increasingly adopt AI-powered tools to evaluate partnership performance, predict pipeline strength, assess compliance risks, and surface early indicators of disruption. As many institutions still manage hundreds of partnerships through spreadsheets or generic CRMs, we expect a decisive shift toward mission-specific, AI-enabled platforms that bring structure, visibility, and strategic intelligence to the global engagement ecosystem." — Travis Ulrich, SVP, enterprise solutions, Terra Dotta

"AI-enabled personalized support will become the baseline in higher education — and the best institutions will reimagine the learning experience around it. One-on-one help has always been challenging to scale. AI is changing that …. AI handles routine questions so instructors can focus on the work only humans can do: guiding, mentoring, and challenging students. Soon, students will expect this level of personalized support as standard. The real transformation will come from institutions that go further — not just adding AI to old structures, but redesigning learning for an AI-first era. Early online learning often just recorded lectures; the breakthrough came when educators rebuilt for the medium. We're at that moment again. Leaders will use AI not to do old things faster, but to unlock entirely new ways of engaging, supporting, and preparing students for what comes next." — Andy Morgan, chief partnerships officer, 2U    

"Looking ahead, we're going to be moving from heavy experimentation to scaled impact. Eighteen months ago you saw a heavy dose of AI hitting the academic side of the institution: students using it to help write their papers and filters for scanning papers for such things; content creation for questions which helped teachers and educators create a more robust quizzing or testing mechanism. What we're seeing in the last year is folks really starting to focus on administrative testing. They're recognizing that they're getting insights from ERPs or their early intervention systems. Now we're starting to see this move from different departments testing AI to universities putting broader policies or execution plans in place. The vast majority of our pipeline right now is universities taking these one-off departmental projects and saying, 'This is something we can scale up to the institution as a whole.' I compare it to the early days of the LMS, because that was my world — where you saw a business school or an online program test LMS systems, and then ultimately the full university adopted them as the standard moving forward. So, I think we're going to see more standardization of AI at the university level." — Justin Beck, CEO, Gravyty

"In 2026, AI will move from experiment to essential partner in guiding students toward meaningful, fulfilling lives. It will do more than personalize learning. It will provide insights that help students understand their aptitudes and connect them to education and career pathways that align with their strengths. By handling administrative tasks and analyzing learning patterns, AI will free educators to mentor, guide, and create experiences that connect classroom knowledge to real-world opportunities. This connection between students' natural talents, their learning, and career pathways will form the foundation for individual success, stronger communities, and a more resilient economy that benefits from a more adaptable, skilled workforce. In 2026, the most successful classrooms will use AI to build bridges between learning and opportunity, students and their potential, and education and the workforce." — Edson Barton, CEO, YouScience

"AI has established a new 'collaborative imperative' in industrial education and workforce training. Heading into 2026, technical skills will remain the baseline; however, the ability to thrive in mixed human-digital teams will be the true differentiator for success. To succeed in manufacturing's AI-driven landscape, educators, employers, and students must evolve together. This evolution demands a new kind of teamwork: In addition to learning from human mentors, students must also learn how to harness AI and cobots (collaborative robots) as force multipliers, tools that amplify human judgment, creativity, and problem-solving, rather than replacements for human function. By combining human expertise with AI's speed, precision, and adaptability, teams can tackle complex production challenges more effectively than either could alone. As AI disrupts and reinvents career pathways, maintaining strong partnerships and networks becomes vital. The future of technical training lies not in sidelining human skill, but in elevating it and ensuring that workers are empowered to lead, adapt, and innovate with AI as a trusted collaborator." — Daniel Rodriguez, director of sales, Festo Didactic North America  

"By 2026, artificial intelligence will move from being an optional resource to a primary tool for both students and admissions offices. More than 30% of students already use AI to guide their college search — a number that continues to climb as new tools become embedded directly into the enrollment process. But by 2026, AI will move far beyond the first-generation 'chatbots' most colleges currently deploy. Next-generation AI will offer clearer guidance and more accurate responses as students move through the search and application process. These tools will focus on improving access to information and giving students a more efficient and consistent support experience. For institutions, the differentiator won't be whether they use AI, but how intelligently and empathetically their systems understand and serve prospective students." — Sam Burgio, COO and president, Jenzabar

Ed Tech Will Enable Learning Across Diverse Modalities

"Higher education is navigating a period of rapid change, shaped by questions of value, advances in AI, and the need to evolve how learning is delivered to capture attention and sustain motivation. As learners consider a growing array of postsecondary options, two-year and four-year institutions that adapt and innovate are poised to stand out as preferred choices. Innovative community college and university leadership across the country is rapidly adopting research-backed immersive learning technology to improve engagement, motivation, and outcomes in core curriculum. In the year ahead, these immersive approaches and the leaders implementing them will set a new benchmark for institutional success by delivering more engaging learning experiences, stronger outcomes, and transferable skills that extend far beyond the classroom." — Josh Reibel, CEO, Dreamscape Learn

"In 2026, colleges and universities will begin treating software access as core student infrastructure — going beyond an IT responsibility to a campus-wide equity priority. Institutions increasingly recognize that uneven device capabilities, limited lab hours, and off-campus barriers can quietly undermine student success long before academic challenges surface. To address this, campuses will accelerate a shift toward device-agnostic, cloud-enabled access models that ensure students can run required applications wherever they are, on whatever hardware they have. Added progress will come from pairing this shift with cross-departmental planning and strong data and analytics investments. Understanding usage patterns, bottlenecks, and performance gaps will help institutions proactively design more inclusive digital ecosystems rather than reacting to issues after they disrupt learning. While 2026 won't mark the finish, it will represent a meaningful gear shift. More campuses will lay the groundwork, build governance models, and align academic and administrative units around a shared vision of equitable access." — Peter Cooke, president, AppsAnywhere and LabStats

"As colleges and universities work to modernize learning environments, the real shift in 2026 will not be about chasing the next wave of new tech. It will be about enabling learning everywhere. Institutions now support a wider range of learning modalities, from traditional in-room instruction to remote participation, overflow spaces, asynchronous review, and immersive experiences. Many campuses are still challenged by aging buildings, limited square footage and fragmented AV setups that make these modalities difficult to deliver consistently. In the year ahead, institutions will prioritize solutions that help them optimize the spaces they already have rather than relying on costly retrofits or isolated upgrades. AV technologies that bring simplicity, consistency, and interoperability across classrooms will help universities support modern teaching workflows and give students a more reliable experience, regardless of how they participate. This shift toward flexible environments that can accommodate multiple learning modalities will guide the next phase of campus modernization. — Jay Lyons, principal product & portfolio manager, Education, Logitech