The increasing capabilities and rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are reshaping higher education, affecting how students learn and are supported, how teaching and assessment are conducted, what skills and knowledge students need, how research is carried out, and how educational institutions are administered and managed. 

This spotlight explores how generative AI (GenAI) is being adopted and used in higher education, highlighting the opportunities and challenges associated with its growing use, particularly in relation to data protection, academic integrity, equity, the reliability of generated content and its impact on the development of students’ knowledge and skills. 

Drawing on examples from OECD member and partner countries (including Australia), the spotlight identifies five areas of emerging system-level policy responses. Governments and national bodies are increasingly providing guidance on responsible GenAI use, developing common approaches to compliance and procurement of GenAI tools, making efforts to develop GenAI competencies, supporting evidence collection and pilot evaluations, and fostering development of specialised AI tools for higher education.