KI strategisch verankern – Impulse und Learnings aus der Peer-to-Peer-Strategieberatung - U:FF 2026

Strategically Anchoring AI – Insights and Learnings from Peer-to-Peer Strategy Consulting: A presentation by Aline Röttger and Barbara Wagner at the University:Future Festival 2026. Generative AI presents universities with fundamental strategic decision-making questions. It's no longer just about individual tools or pilot projects, but about the question: How does the university position itself as a whole? Not only curricula, assessment formats, and learning objectives are under scrutiny, but also the role of instructors – with tangible implications for staff development, support structures, and governance. At the same time, the fundamental question arises: What responsibility do universities assume in an AI-driven knowledge landscape? In the peer-to-peer strategy consulting program "AI in Higher Education," we support universities in developing sustainable answers to these questions. This presentation summarizes initial experiences from the consulting process launched in 2026 and presents areas of tension in dealing with AI, as well as proven approaches for institutionally anchoring AI. A Q&A session followed the presentations, providing an opportunity for discussion and questions. // The sixth edition of the University:Future Festival took place from June 22-24, 2026, under the motto "Under Pressure!" The hybrid festival was held in person in Berlin, Braunschweig, Essen, Graz, Hamburg, and Nuremberg. The University:Future Festival (U:FF) is the largest event dedicated to the (digital) future of academic education. Topics included AI, future skills, didactics, and strategic processes. Participants enjoyed a diverse program with approximately 280 presentations from around 550 speakers! The University:Future Festival is a collaboration between the Higher Education Forum on Digitalization, the Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education, and the Stifterverband (Donors' Association for German Science). The partner stages were organized by the Emerging Tech Lab and the Media Lab of the Project House at TU Braunschweig, ORCA.nrw, Graz University of Technology, Ohm University and UTN Nuremberg, and the University of Hamburg in conjunction with OERCamp. The University:Future Festival (U:FF) is a collaborative effort between the Hochschulforum Digitalisierung (Higher Education Forum on Digitalization), the Stiftung Innovation in der Hochschullehre (Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education), and the Stifterverband (Donors' Association for German Science). The partner stages were organized by the Emerging Tech Lab and the Media Lab of the Projekthaus at TU Braunschweig, ORCA.nrw, Graz University of Technology, Ohm University and UTN Nuremberg, and the University of Hamburg in conjunction with OERCamp. ... More information at https://festival.hfd.digital/de/