College President Says AI Can Improve Learning if Schools Set Clear Limits

September 27, 2026 - 03:29

A college president is calling on universities to treat artificial intelligence as a tool that can strengthen education rather than a threat to it, while warning that the technology could also become a dangerous shortcut if schools fail to manage it carefully.

Richard Corcoran, president of New College of Florida, said the key question is not whether artificial intelligence belongs in the classroom, but how institutions choose to use it. He argued that schools have a responsibility to help students develop critical thinking, communication and other skills that employers expect, even as AI tools become more common in academic work.

Corcoran said AI can support learning when it is used to spark discussion, generate ideas or help students work through difficult material. The risk, he noted, comes when students rely on it to skip the thinking process entirely, producing work without gaining the knowledge behind it.

His comments reflect a wider debate among educators about how to adapt to a technology that is already reshaping how students study and write. Some schools have banned AI tools, while others are building them into coursework with new rules and expectations.

Corcoran suggested that the outcome depends on leadership and planning. With clear guidelines and a focus on real skills, he said, AI could raise the quality of education. Without that oversight, it could weaken the very abilities universities are meant to build.