GenAI, as it is colloquially known, isn’t being universally rejected by the 1,057 college and university faculty members sampled nationwide by Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center and the American Association of Colleges and Universities Oct. 29-Nov. 26. It is, however, placing higher education at an inflection point. “When more than 9 in 10 faculty warn that generative AI may weaken critical thinking and increase student overreliance, it is clear that higher education is at an inflection point,” said Eddie Watson, vice president for Digital Innovation at the AAC&U. “These findings do not call for abandoning AI, but for intentional leadership — rethinking teaching models, assessment practices and academic integrity so that human judgment, inquiry and learning remain central.