Innovation, Ethics and the Responsible Use of AI in Higher Education: Evidence from an Exploratory Study of 30 Universities Worldwide

The integration of AI into everyday life, across work and leisure, constitutes a significant driver of social innovation, reshaping interaction, communication, learning processes, and knowledge organisation, as well as the management of work and organisational activities. Increasingly oriented towards users’ needs, AI systems are learned and instructed to support not only cognitive but also emotional demands. In higher education, AI represents a transformative force, enhancing institutional efficiency across research, teaching, and third-mission activities. However, its adoption raises critical ethical concerns and highlights the importance of digital literacy in fostering soft competences. These are essential to promote awareness, self-regulation, and a critical, responsible use of AI technologies. Key questions remain regarding the extent of AI integration within universities, its ethical regulation, and its role in supporting academic and administrative practices. This article offers an initial overview through the analysis of 30 global case studies conducted within a European Commission-funded project. Building on Escudero’s theoretical framework of Imperfect AI, the analysis of the research findings highlights the discrepancies between the macro-social perspective on the ethical integration of AI within institutions and the meso- and micro-social perspectives on its effective integration into the everyday practices of institutional actors.