Across higher education, workforce systems, and state governments, policymakers are increasingly focused on preparing students for a future shaped by artificial intelligence (AI).

Congress has examined how colleges can help build an “AI-ready America.” Governors are exploring AI’s implications for state economies, workforce development, and long-term economic competitiveness while colleges, universities, and employers are increasingly adapting to AI-enabled learning and work environments.

These conversations are important. As artificial intelligence advances, it is transforming education, accelerating workplace innovation, and redefining the skills needed for future careers Higher education has a critical role to play in helping students navigate those changes.

But policymakers may be overlooking another question that deserves equal attention:

How will students be protected as AI becomes embedded throughout postsecondary education and training?

Higher education is still grappling with two related questions: how colleges and universities should use AI within their own institutions, and how they should prepare students for an increasingly AI-powered economy. Some colleges and universities are rapidly integrating AI into instruction, advising, and student services. For example, Georgia State University has expanded its use of AI-enhanced chatbots and predictive analytics to support enrollment, advising, persistence, and academic success, while large public systems such as SUNY are investing in systemwide AI initiatives focused on teaching, learning, and workforce preparation. Others are proceeding more cautiously, raising concerns about privacy, bias, academic integrity, learning outcomes, student well-being, and the environmental costs associated with increasingly resource-intensive AI systems. Some institutions have even restricted certain uses of generative AI for coursework and exams. For example, UC Berkeley School of Law recently adopted one of the most restrictive AI policies in higher education, prohibiting AI use for most work submitted for credit and banning its use in exams.

These debates are healthy. Yet students are increasingly likely to encounter AI throughout their educational and workforce journeys regardless of where institutions ultimately land. A Gallup-Lumina survey on student AI use found that generative AI has become routine for many college students, even as some institutions continue to restrict or discourage it. At the same time, EDUCAUSE research suggests that AI is already reshaping work across higher education institutions, affecting how faculty, staff, and administrators approach teaching, advising, and student support. Students are also increasingly likely to encounter AI through advising platforms, learning technologies, career services, and workplace tools long before policymakers have fully resolved questions about governance, accountability, and student protections.

The question is no longer simply whether colleges should use AI.

The question is what protections should exist when they do.

For federal and state higher education and workforce policymakers, three issues deserve particular attention: workforce readiness, the marketplace shaping AI adoption, and student protections.

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