EDUCAUSE surveyed higher education procurement professionals about artificial intelligence purchasing decisions and found significant obstacles in the process. The polling results highlight that AI procurement complexity stems from two core problems: unclear institutional governance frameworks around AI use and the accelerating pace of technological change that makes long-term purchasing decisions risky.
Procurement officers at colleges and universities face a disconnect between their need to buy AI tools and solutions and the lack of clear guidance on how those tools align with broader campus AI strategy. Many institutions have not yet established comprehensive AI governance policies, leaving procurement teams to make purchasing decisions in a vacuum. This creates compliance risks and potential misalignment with institutional values around academic integrity, student privacy, and faculty concerns.
The speed of AI development adds another layer of difficulty. Technologies become obsolete or are superseded within months. Vendors release major updates and capability changes frequently. Procurement timelines, which typically span weeks or months, struggle to keep pace. By the time a purchase agreement is signed, the product may have evolved significantly, and competing solutions may have emerged.
EDUCAUSE recommends that procurement professionals succeed by taking two concrete steps. First, institutions must develop clear AI governance strategies before procurement teams begin evaluating vendors. This strategy should define acceptable use cases, risk tolerance, and alignment with institutional missions. Second, procurement officers should prioritize working with vendors who demonstrate commitment to transparency. This includes clear documentation of AI model limitations, data handling practices, audit capabilities, and ongoing support as technologies evolve.
The survey underscores a broader challenge in higher education: the speed of AI adoption has outpaced institutional planning. Campuses rushing to implement AI tools without governance frameworks risk purchasing solutions that create more problems than they solve. Procurement professionals cannot solve governance challenges alone. Success requires leadership alignment on AI strategy before purchasing decisions begin.