Universities urged to rethink in-person teaching as AI fuels student absenteeism

The most visible challenge AI presents to universities may not be cheating. It may be that students no longer see a reason to attend class.

Katherine Tatarinov, an assistant professor of strategy at HEC Lausanne, argues that higher education needs to reconsider what in-person teaching is meant to provide. The traditional arrangement asked students to attend, listen, work, discuss and learn. AI now offers an alternative for several of those activities.

Students use AI to understand lecture slides, summarise readings, prepare for examinations and answer questions they previously brought to class. Research cited in the column indicates that 98% of higher-education students use AI, with usage rising sharply just before exams.

The concern is not simply that students have access to a new study tool. An AI assistant that remains available at all times and appears authoritative can create the impression of learning without sustained attention. That can make attendance feel less necessary, even when students are not deliberately trying to avoid academic work.

The column therefore places responsibility on universities and professors to redefine the value of the classroom. If in-person sessions merely repeat material that an AI system can explain or condense, lecture halls may continue to empty. The challenge is to make attendance serve a purpose that students cannot obtain from automated summaries and answers alone.