New: Action Agenda for Using AI to Improve Graduate Education and Workforce Preparation
CGS Contact: Kelley Karnes
602-791-8278 / kkarnes@cgs.nche.edu
PDF version of press release
Washington, DC — Graduate education leaders from 15 countries released a new action agenda and guiding principles to address the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence in graduate education at the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) annual Strategic Leaders Global Summit.
The summit was convened from September 28-30, 2025, with CGS member Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in Québec City, Canada, with support from ETS, Université du Québec, Fonds de recherche du Québec and Consulat général de France à Québec.
The panel discussions covered many topics, including the ethical implications of generative AI, the importance of disclosure and transparency, potential for new tools to enhance learning, and ensuring responsible research practices when using AI.
Attendees created guiding principles to support thoughtful integration of AI into graduate education and to encourage the graduate education community to adopt a solid understanding of emerging technologies. The accompanying action agenda provides guidance to institutions, faculty and graduate students. Areas of focus include encouraging institutions to articulate their policies and guidance on using AI, helping faculty design and enforce those policies while also developing innovative tools for research and teaching, and educating students on responsible uses of AI and developing AI literacy for their careers.
CGS President Chevelle Newsome said this year’s summit was vital to assessing the impact AI has had in transforming research methodologies, reshaping disciplinary boundaries, and redefining the competencies graduate students need to lead in academia, industry, and society.
“This summit represented a crucial step in our collective responsibility to navigate this transformation thoughtfully, balancing innovation with integrity, access with excellence, and technological capability with human judgment,” Newsome said. “I’m grateful for the expertise and commitment everyone brought to these conversations, and for the partnership of ETS and INRS in this important convening.”
“As graduate education leaders, we have a shared responsibility to ensure that artificial intelligence serves both knowledge and humanity. The Global Summit reminded us that technology must amplify, not replace, the intellectual curiosity and critical thinking that define advanced research and learning,” said Philippe-Edwin Bélanger, Director of Graduate Studies and Student Success, INRS.
Next year’s Global Summit will be held in November at Qatar University, in Doha, Qatar. The topic will be, “Agile Pathways: New Architectures for Graduate Education” and will look to identify new practices for admissions, delivery modalities, and impact-driven programs.
Hosted by CGS and international partners since 2007, the summit seeks to identify differences and commonalities among leaders in graduate education globally and to develop best practices around shared priorities.
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About CGS
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is an organization of approximately 460 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada engaged in graduate education, research, and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees. The organization’s mission is to improve and advance graduate education, which it accomplishes through advocacy in the federal policy arena, research, and the development and dissemination of best practices.