Artificial Intelligence (AI) has brought forth new opportunities for higher education, while posing challenges in fields of academic integrity risks, technology misuse, growing digital divide, etc. From December 7 to 9, 2023, the "Transforming Higher Education in the Age of AI" International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) Global Partners Summit was held at Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), which was co-organised by UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education (UNESCO IITE), International Centre for Higher Education Innovation under the auspices of UNESCO (UNESCO-ICHEI), Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), and 2023 IIOE Rotating Presidency Unit Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), under the supervision of Secretariat of the National Commission of the People's Republic of China for UNESCO.

The summit brought together global education leaders, policymakers, experts and scholars, enterprises and other higher education stakeholders to collectively explore the opportunities of higher education in the age of AI, the empowerment of AI in institutional management and teacher professional development channels, effective governance of AI and other issues. The summit had approximately 200 attendees from 28 countries from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Middle East, and Europe, including Ministry of Education officials, presidents and vice chancellors of HEIs, international experts, and other high-level leaders in higher education.

The summit encompassed seven forums: 

• Higher Education Governance in the AI Era;

• Higher Education Teacher Professional Development in the AI Era;

• Micro-certification for Higher Education Teacher Professional Development;

• Innovation and Applications of AI in Higher Education Teaching and Learning;

• Digital Environment and Management of HEIs in the AI Era;

• High-Quality, Inclusive Digital Content under the Principle of Joint Development and Shared Benefits;

• Innovative Partnerships Driving Educational Change and Leadership. 

Ms. Wang Yufei, General Manager of the Overseas Business Department of KMAX Industrial Co., Ltd., attended the summit and delivered a keynote speech titled 'How XR technology demonstrates powers to transform education.' She shared the practical application of XR technology in promoting digitalization in education during the era of artificial intelligence. The development of AI technology will bring broader possibilities for the human-machine interaction of XR technology. 

In her presentation at this summit, Ms. Wang Yufei mainly focused on the following three points:

1. Smart Classroom Project:

KMAX provides better digital education transformation solutions for developing countries, including partners in the Belt and Road Initiative, and even global higher education institutions. The previous collaboration goals mainly aimed to support the Smart Classroom Project of innovation centers, upgrading the XR and VR functionalities. We also provide technology-based resources and platforms to support IIOE (Information Infrastructure for Online Education), enhance teachers' digital literacy, and meet their technological needs in the teaching process.

2. Strategic Planning for AI-empowered Higher Education:

KMAX’s core technology is XR technology, which is considered a promising form of human-machine interaction globally. The process of human-machine interaction has evolved from PC to mobile devices and then to XR. As the era of AI technology approaches, we recognize that the underlying principles of imaging and interaction in XR technology require more 3D modelling. We believe that the new data and algorithms brought by AI and large-scale models will provide greater space and more efficient productivity for 3D modelling. This productivity will directly promote the development of XR technology and steer the products and solutions generated in human-machine interaction towards more advanced form.

3. Role of Enterprises in the IIOE Alliance Cooperation Mechanism:

KMAX collaborates with innovation centers to support global partner universities through IIOE, aiming to apply research results and new technological algorithms to the field of education. We aspire to contribute to the well-being of humanity through the mechanism of industry-academia-research cooperation, especially with institutions and enterprises represented by IIOE. KMAX strives to achieve the implementation of advanced research results through enterprise products and technological solutions in global universities and user ends, promoting cooperation between industry, academia, and research to better serve households with academic achievements.

As an educational technology company, KMAX currently possesses self-developed XR interactive desktop all-in-one machines, naked-eye 3D interactive teaching devices, and nearly 500 professional course teaching and training software in XR format. Currently, we have served more than 350,000 users from over 3,500 schools in more than ten countries and regions worldwide. The theme of this summit is to explore the digital reform of higher education in the era of artificial intelligence. For KMAX, the significant development of artificial intelligence technology undoubtedly provides more imaginative space and broader possibilities for the human-machine interactive form centered around XR technology. KMAX will continue to devote itself to the practice of promoting education, particularly digitalization in higher education, with the continuous advancement of XR technology in the era of artificial intelligence."

The summit also held an award ceremony. Nudle, the business partner of KMAX in Africa, was awarded “ 2023 UNESCO-ICHEI Higher Education Digitalisation Pioneer Case Award”.

In addition, the summit released 'Higher Education in the Era of Artificial Intelligence White Paper (Consultation Draft)' (hereinafter referred to as the "White Paper"), which was drafted by UNESCO-ICHEI based on extensive consultation from experts and enterprise partners. The White Paper endeavours to explore the current approaches and future directions for the effective use of AI technologies in teaching and learning, and advocates for the multilateral collaboration of higher education stakeholders, in order to advance the good use of technologies and related policies. Professor LIM Cher Ping, Chief Expert of the UNESCO-ICHEI IIOE and Chair Professor of Learning Technologies and Innovation at the Education University of Hong Kong, China (EdUHK), gave an overall introduction to the White Paper. After the release of the White Paper, higher education experts and partner institutions of the IIOE ecosystem will be widely consulted, with the goal of building enterprise-higher education partnerships, strengthening policy dialogue, promoting more HEIs in developing countries to reach a consensus on AI and higher education, and encouraging multi-stakeholders to explore the cooperation mechanism and the new ecosystem of higher education.

At the end of the closing ceremony, Professor LI Ming, the Secretary-General of the IIOE Secretariat, delivered the closing remarks. He acknowledged the significance of the summit and expressed heartfelt gratitude to all the attendees. Professor LI Ming emphasised that the summit focused on the theme of "Transforming Education in the Age of AI" and carried out in-depth discussions and multilateral exchanges, further exploring practical pathways for "the integration of AI into higher education" with HEIs, governments, industries and senior representatives of UNESCO and relevant international organisations. In the upcoming 2024, the IIOE ecosystem will accelerate the research and practices of AI applications in higher education under the leadership of the new IIOE Rotating Presidency Unit and the joint efforts of all IIOE partners. Through policy dialogues and enterprise-higher education partnerships, successful cases will be brought to the world, and the IIOE ecosystem will further play a leading role in digital innovation in global higher education. This summit contributes to global multilateral cooperation between UNESCO-ICHEI and global partners, opening a new chapter in reshaping the future of higher education in the AI era.