Universities would prefer no AI

Most major AI models released in 2025 came from private industry rather than universities, which are falling behind in compute capacity and frontier research development. While universities maintain a monopoly on degree-granting, they risk technological obsolescence by treating AI as a distraction rather than embracing it as a fundamental transformation of higher education's business model. China's universities demonstrate how alignment with national AI goals can create a competitive advantage, whereas U.S. universities are largely sidelined from the frontier AI race.