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Artificial intelligence has already secured a foothold in higher education, but institutions are now entering a more consequential phase of adoption. According to Ashraf Davids, Solutions Manager for Digital Business Solutions at Datacentrix, a leading hybrid ICT systems integrator and digital transformation partner, the conversation is rapidly shifting from experimentation with generative AI to the operational impact of agentic AI; a move that could very much reshape the way in which universities function.<\/p>\n
\u201cGenerative AI has proven its value in enhancing productivity and supporting teaching and learning,\u201d says Davids. \u201cBut agentic AI is where higher education institutions can see real transformational change, particularly when it comes to administration, compliance and decision making.\u201d<\/p>\n
From content creation to autonomous action<\/strong><\/p>\n For many education environments, generative AI has become familiar territory. It can be used to summarise documents, assist with lecture preparation and support students with research, as well as responding to prompts on demand. Its value lies in speed, scale and accessibility.<\/p>\n Agentic AI, however, goes beyond assistance into the realm of action. Unlike generative models that wait for input, agentic AI systems can reason, make decisions and execute tasks autonomously across multiple systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAn agentic AI doesn\u2019t just answer a question,\u201d Davids explains. \u201cIt can complete an end-to-end process, validate inputs, apply rules, trigger approvals, update systems and provide an auditable record of every step.\u201d<\/p>\n This distinction is particularly significant for higher education organisations grappling with complex administrative workloads, growing student numbers and constrained resources.<\/p>\n Admissions, engagement and student success<\/strong><\/p>\n Davids maintains that one of the most immediate opportunities for agentic AI in education lies in student admissions. While generative AI can summarise applications and supporting documents, agentic AI can take responsibility for the workflow itself. It can validate documentation, flag missing information, prompt applicants automatically, update internal systems and communicate application status in real time, all while logging actions for audit and compliance purposes.<\/p>\n Beyond admissions, agentic AI also enables more proactive student engagement. By integrating with learning management systems and institutional data sources, agentic AI can identify at-risk students, trigger alerts, schedule interventions and escalate issues to academic or support staff when necessary.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this model, AI becomes more of an operational partner,\u201d he continues. \u201cIt supports staff by removing administrative friction, while still ensuring that humans remain in control of decisions that require judgement or empathy.\u201d<\/p>\n Compliance as the foundation, not an afterthought<\/strong><\/p>\n While enthusiasm for AI adoption is growing,\u00a0Davids stresses that compliance and governance must underpin every deployment, particularly in regulated environments such as education. With a significant portion of employees already using public AI tools, institutions face increasing exposure to data leakage, intellectual property loss and regulatory risk.<\/p>\n \u201cA\u00a0recent global survey\u00a0by the University of Melbourne and KPMG stated that emerging economies are leading in employee adoption, with 72% using AI regularly compared to 49% in advanced economies. However,\u00a0fewer than half of businesses\u00a0currently have an AI governance policy in place.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce sensitive data leaves your environment, you lose control,\u201d he warns. \u201cThis is why governance, role-based access and auditability are non-negotiable.\u00a0We\u2019ve seen a number of issues globally arising around unsanctioned tools, audit trails, user tracking and control. For instance, the French\u00a0competition authority,\u00a0Autorit\u00e9 de la concurrence,\u00a0<\/em>fined Google more than $271 million due to copyright issues relating to large language models (LLMs) and lack of governance. And Italy\u2019s data watchdog penalised an AI chatbot developer, charging the company more than \u20ac5.6 million. These are significant costs and emphasise what can happen when compliance isn\u2019t taken seriously.<\/p>\n \u201cIn South Africa, legislation such as POPIA is already shaping how organisations handle data, and these global enforcement actions signal that regulators are paying close attention to AI governance. Agentic AI systems, by their nature, amplify both the benefits and the risks of automation, making compliance-by-design essential.<\/p>\n \u201cQuestions to ask should include the following:\u00a0Which licences are in use? Where are chats being stored? How compliant are they with legislation and institutional policies? Are you able to monitor the data that goes into AI tools? Can you track who is doing what across departments? Is your intellectual property protected? Are you putting your business at risk due to lack of compliance? Are your employees using public or free AI tools? Have you blocked public LLMs from corporate networks?\u201d<\/p>\n Datacentrix\u2019s approach focuses on secure, governed AI environments where interactions are contained, monitored and auditable. \u201cYou need to know who is using AI \u2013 role-based access is very important \u2013 as well as having an understanding of the data that users are accessing and how decisions are being made,\u201d says Davids. \u201cWithout this type of visibility, the risk quickly outweighs the reward.\u201d<\/p>\n A new operating model for higher education<\/strong><\/p>\n As higher education institutions look to scale operations while improving student experience, agentic AI offers a compelling path forward.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGenerative AI can most definitely help to enhance learning and knowledge work, but it is agentic AI that has the potential to redefine institutional operations, from admissions and administration to student support and compliance management.<\/p>\n \u201cThe real shift is not technological, it\u2019s organisational. Agentic AI enables institutions to rethink how their work is done. Those that embed security, governance and purpose into their AI strategies from the outset will be best positioned to realise its full value,\u201d Davids concludes.<\/p>\n For more information on Datacentrix\u2019s secure, enterprise-grade agentic AI platform, SARA, please email Ashraf Davids on\u00a0AsDavids@datacentrix.co.za.<\/p>\n About Datacentrix:<\/strong><\/p>\n Datacentrix is a leading, African-born systems integrator and managed services provider that operates in Africa and the Middle East. The company\u2019s mature portfolio incorporates intelligent hybrid cloud solutions, security services, data management and resource augmentation.<\/p>\n As an industry forerunner with a prominent track record since 1994, Datacentrix leverages advanced technologies to help customers realise smart operations, competitive advantage and strategic business outcomes. The company partners with its customers to reshape their organisations through technology, paving the way to a sustainable future in an artificially intelligent, data-driven world.<\/p>\n Datacentrix has a noteworthy empowerment history and has held a Level One Broad-based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Contributor rating since 2017. The company is 100% Black owned, 72.88% Black women owned and is esteemed as a Designated Supplier, which enables 135% procurement recognition for our customers.<\/p>\n For more information, please visit\u00a0www.datacentrix.co.za<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n