Research on Generative AI Empowering the Digital Transformation of Higher Education

Abstract

With the rapid iteration of digital technology and the in-depth advancement of building China into a leading country in education, educational digitalization has become an important direction for higher education reform and development in the new era. Leveraging its robust capabilities in content creation, logical reasoning, data analysis, and multi-scenario adaptability, Generative AI has comprehensively permeated core domains of higher education, including classroom teaching, talent cultivation, scientific innovation, and campus governance. Currently, China’s higher education digitalization has transitioned from the preliminary stage of hardware deployment and the popularization of online courses to a critical period of transformation characterized by the deep integration of human-machine collaboration. However, practical implementation still faces significant obstacles, such as the superficial application of intelligent technologies, insufficient digital pedagogical competence among faculty, inadequate adaptability of the talent cultivation system, lagging institutional safeguards, and ethical anomalies in intelligent applications. Grounded in the actual development of higher education, this paper analyzes the challenges hindering the empowerment of higher education’s digital transformation by Generative AI, and proposes optimized practical pathways. These measures aim to facilitate the deep coupling of intelligent technology with higher education, thereby driving universities to achieve high-quality, connotative development.