Google Just Invested $1 Billion in AI for Universities- But There's a Gap Nobody's Talking About

Google just made one of the biggest bets in the history of education technology. A three-year, $1 billion investment to bring AI tools, training and cloud computing facilities to universities across the United States, with more than 100 colleges and universities, such as Texas A&M and the University of North Carolina. It is a landmark moment. It is an indication that AI in higher education is no more of a marginal discussion, but rather it is a global priority. But here is what nobody is talking about: this AI investment in university admissions is almost entirely absent from Google's plan, and that gap is costing universities thousands of students every single year.

What Google’s $1 Billion Is Actually Funding

To understand the gap, it is important to know what is covered by the investment. The initiative at Google has three pillars, which include, AI literacy courses for students and faculty, institutional research grants exploring AI applications, and cloud computing infrastructure to execute AI tools inside classrooms.

All three of these are useful. Educating learners on the application of AI, investing in the research of that application, and providing the institutions with the necessary infrastructure to execute the AI- these are truly valuable investments in the future of higher education. In the US, universities are already starting to re-organize curricula, educate faculty and even incorporate AI into the instruction process.

But here is the thing. All this is centered on what happens after the student enrolls. It addresses the classroom. The curriculum. The research lab. It does not touch on the previous step before any of that- the step when a student initially contacts a university, poses a question and waits whether he/she is going to get an answer in time or not.

The Gap Nobody Is Talking About

Over 50% of students claim to have never received any AI training. One in three educators still lacks confidence in the use of AI. These are the figures that are making Google invest- and these are real issues that should be solved.

However, there is one more figure that receives much less attention the percentage of inquires at universities that cannot be answered, are delayed, or offer a generic answer that does not bring the student any step closer. That is an alarmingly high number even in most universities - and nothing can be done to it by investing in AI in the classroom.

This is the voice and chat AI gap in higher education. It is the gap between a student who sends a WhatsApp message at 10 PM and a counselor who will see the message the following morning. It is the difference that exists between a student calling to inquire about eligibility and being put on hold. It is the gap between the prospective individual attention of a university and the manual, overworked template of most admissions departments.

The voice and chat AI gap in higher education is not a technology problem- the technology exists. It is a problem of prioritisation. As billions are invested in AI to teach and research, the admissions process, which, in fact, gets a student to the classroom remains largely untouched.

Where the Real AI Investment in University Admissions Needs to Go

This is what a comprehensive AI plan of universities really would look like- one that goes beyond the classroom and the entire student experience:

• AI investment in university admissions starts with the first response. A student who calls or sends a message should see an AI voice or chat agent in immediate response to request answer questions, verify their eligibility and automatically update CRM. Any time spent waiting at this stage means a big probability of losing that student forever.
• The voice and chat AI gap in higher education is wider than most institutions realise. The modern generation of students is used to quick, intelligent responses of all applications and platforms they operate. It is not only the feeling from a university to take 24 hours to respond to an inquiry that makes it feel slow, but also out of touch. This gap can no longer be closed by choice.
•  AI student engagement solutions for universities need to work across every channel. Voice calls, WhatsApp messages, chat on the web site, students contact at various channels at various time. An overall solution encompasses all of them, and keeps the conversation consistent between discussions and sets each student on the right track without losing the thread.

What Edysor Does That Google’s Investment Doesn’t Cover

Edysor is designed with the gap that the billion-dollar investment of Google is leaving open in its path. Whereas the world is largely concerned with AI within the classroom, Edysor concentrates on all that precedes a student even before s/he sits down in one.

The AI voice agents of Edysor act right after a student makes a call- there is no wait, no voicemails, no lost chances. The chat agents operate in both WhatsApp and Web chat and the functions performed include document collection, eligibility checks, and personalised follow-ups in real-time. And the Offer Letter AI takes less than three minutes to write and post conditional offers to a potential customer- a qualified lead being transformed into a signed student in three minutes, the quickest that any manual system has ever achieved.

The AI student engagement solutions for universities that Edysor delivers are not theoretical. Universities using Edysor have seen 65% higher student engagement, a 100% response rate, and 4X increase in conversions — all from closing the gap that no one else is talking about.

The Billion Dollar Question Universities Need to Ask themselves

Google’s investment is an indicator. It informs all universities of the world that AI is not on its way anymore, rather on it, and those that do not change will fall behind. However, the question that universities should pose is not only how can we introduce AI into our classes? It is: what then are we doing to incorporate AI in each and every interaction with the student, the first hello, the last registration? That is the question which Edysor was made to answer. Book a free demo now and discover what the gap closing process really looks like.