CLOUD Issue 13 Officially Released｜East Asian Higher Education Insights in the Digital Intelligence Era
The wave of artificial intelligence (AI) is surging forward with unprecedented momentum, as technological innovations achieve breakthrough advances across multiple fronts, driving AI toward greater efficiency and intelligence while triggering profound transformations in higher education. What responses are East Asian countries making to these developments? To address the globally relevant question, UNESCO-ICHEI and UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia jointly launched a new edition of CLOUD. From diverse perspectives and case studies including cutting-edge policy, academia-industry practices and expert insights, this edition demonstrates the innovative achievements of East Aisan higher education in AI adoption and academia-industry collaboration.
Highlights
Policy Frontiers
In the integration of artificial intelligence with higher education, the East Asian region demonstrates unique value as a case study. While countries in the region differ in their development levels, economic scale, and talent structures, they collectively form a highly representative analytical unit—encompassing both the leading practices of countries like China, Japan, and South Korea in higher education and technological innovation, as well as the active exploration of leapfrog development pathways by countries such as Mongolia. Through examining regional and institutional policies, this edition aims to illuminate pathways for diverse educational institutions while providing multiple reference points for global digital transformation.
The UNESCO Regional Office for East Asia opens its report Digital Leap in East Asia: A Regional Synthesis on Higher Education Transformation by noting that East Asian countries' transformation achievements can largely be attributed to their forward-looking policy frameworks. China has leveraged policies such as the "New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan" and the AI "101 Plan" to coordinate strategic blueprints, technological investment, university-industry collaboration, and discipline development, creating synergy for digital transformation. Japan, with its vision of a "super-smart society," has utilised policies including the "AI Strategy" and the "Act on the Promotion of Research and Development and the Utilisation of AI-Related Technologies" to integrate localised AI talent development into solutions for social challenges and public welfare. South Korea has established clear AI talent cultivation goals with a strong industry-demand orientation through policies such as the "Act on the Development of Artificial Intelligence and Establishment of Trust". Meanwhile, Mongolia has seised opportunities presented by its "Vision 2050" and "Digital Nation" strategies, combining long-term planning, short-term projects, and global resources to explore development pathways that leapfrog the digital divide.
Academia-Industry Practices
As a knowledge platform connecting global partners, CLOUD has always been committed to fostering intellectual exchange and showcasing pioneering practices. The reshaping of higher education by AI is not only reflected in updates to policies and technologies, but also in the structured transformation of the entire educational ecosystem.
In this issue, CLOUD features a dialogue with a professor from the Mongolian University of Science and Technology's Open Education Institute (MUST-OEI), highlighting the significant achievements of the International Institute of Online Education (IIOE) Micro-Certification Project for enhancing university teachers' digital and AI literacy. By empowering educators, the initiative has advanced the localisation, contextualisation and nationwide dissemination of AI-related courses.
Professor LIU Jiang of Southern University of Science and Technology, and his iMED team have developed the concept of educational intelligence based on their "AI + discipline" integrated approach to teaching and technology application, combined with their practical experience in AI integration within medical and educational fields. This framework encourages readers to reconceptualise the complex interactive relationships among teachers, students, and knowledge.
EdTech enterprises are also actively driving innovation across education, research and industry while embracing greater social and global responsibility. POCY Group has pioneered an integrated industry–education–city model, deeply embedding vocational education into both industrial and urban development to highlight its societal value. NetDragon, meanwhile, leverages frontier technologies such as AI, big data and the educational metaverse to co-create AI+Education ecosystems with local universities, extending these practices to countries along the Belt and Road and contributing to global educational equity and shared benefits.
Alongside observing developments in policy and practice, this issue of CLOUD also brings together profound reflections from leading scholars. GONG Ke, Executive Director of the Chinese Institute of New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Strategies, emphasises that digital and green transitions should serve as twin drivers of core strategy. He highlights the need to focus on cultivating green intelligent talent, breaking down disciplinary barriers, and enabling universities to build world-class systems characterised by integrating intelligence and practising greening.
Shifting to a global perspective, the EU Artificial Intelligence Act (AIA) drafting working group offers an in-depth analysis of this risk-based regulatory framework, examining both its normative role in integrating AI into education and its limitations as a "one-size-fits-all" approach. Their insights open new perspectives for higher education leaders and policymakers beyond the EU in exploring governance models for the convergence of education and AI.
Data Story
This issue of CLOUD features a special data insert, presenting the state and trends of AI integration into higher education across East Asia in a vivid and engaging way. The data reveal that, driven by rapid economic growth, globalisation and technological innovation, East Asian countries have already made remarkable progress in the digital transformation of higher education. These achievements position the regional model as a valuable reference and source of inspiration for global educational transformation.
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Articles from the new issue will be published progressively on the UNESCO-ICHEI' s official website and social media platforms. We invite readers to explore, read, and engage in discussion.
Thank you for your continued support of CLOUD. We hope this issue will prove both informative and inspiring, and look forward to working together in fostering a more open and inclusive higher education landscape in the era of AI.
UNESCO-ICHEI's flagship magazine CLOUD aims to build an exchange platform for higher education stakeholders. "CLOUD" symbolises "connecting leaders online for university digital transformation". Relying on a global network of experts and think tanks, CLOUD shares frontier knowledge, project updates, good cases, expert insights, and supporting data insights to promote the research and application of digital transformation in higher education. CLOUD is published in six official languages of the United Nations. Past issues have covered digital transformation strategies in higher education, capacity building of teaching personnel, quality assurance in higher education, micro-certification, AI, etc.
