Generative AI and the Tertiary Sector: Current Issues, Key Opportunities and Risks for Institutions and Policymakers

Authors

• Sultana Lubna Alam, The University of Sydney Business School
• Bernadette Hyland-Wood, Centre for Data Science
• Jiahe Chen, Western Sydney University
• Lemai Nguyen, Deakin University
• Deborah Bunker, The University of Sydney Business School
• Sazia Sadiq, The University of Queensland
• Babak Abedin, Macquarie University

Author ORCID Identifier

Sultana Lubna Alam: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3600-6047

Bernadette Hyland-Wood: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6581-1408

Jiahe Chen: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3466-3016

Lemai Nguyen: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3695-7245

Deborah Bunker: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4399-6701

Sazia Sadiq: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6739-4145

Babak Abedin: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3426-443X

Abstract

Generative AI (GenAI) is rapidly transforming the higher education landscape, raising critical questions about governance, ethics, and strategic integration. A panel convened by members of the Australasian Council of Professors and Heads of Information Systems (ACPHIS) brought together leading Australian IS academics to examine institutional readiness, policy gaps, and emerging opportunities for innovation at ACIS 2025. Drawing on interim findings from an ACPHIS-sponsored national project involving 45 public universities across Australia and New Zealand, the panel synthesized insights from systematic literature reviews and policy analyses on GenAI adoption and diffusion in the tertiary sector. Through interactive dialogue and co-creation, the panel articulated a forward-looking agenda for IS scholars to shape national policy and bridge the gap between technological capability and responsible practice in higher education. This panel contributes to the IS discipline by fostering critical dialogue on the governance and ethical integration of GenAI, offering evidence-based insights from a national project, identifying policy gaps, and co-creating strategic responses that position IS scholars as key actors in shaping responsible and innovative GenAI adoption across research and teaching. Key themes include responsible AI use, graduate skill development, and sector-wide responses to issues such as learning assurance, privacy, intellectual property, and security.

Recommended Citation

Alam, S. L., Hyland-Wood, B., Chen, J., Nguyen, L., Bunker, D., Sadiq, S., & Abedin, B. (In press). Generative AI and the Tertiary Sector: Current Issues, Key Opportunities and Risks for Institutions and Policymakers. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 58, pp-pp. Retrieved from https://aisel.aisnet.org/cais/vol58/iss1/77