[CONFERENCE] AI is changing university rankings, but human judgment still matters, experts say

AI is reshaping university rankings and the universities being ranked, experts said Tuesday at the 2026 Korea Times Global Conference in Seoul. QS’s Leigh Kamolins said AI can widen the evidence base and improve data analysis, but cannot replace expert judgment. THE’s Mei Mei Lim said universities should focus more on real-world impact than output and use AI to build distinctive strengths. She also said AI could either deepen or reduce Korea’s Seoul concentration, depending on how it is used.

Kamolins said QS uses graduate employability in its methodology and offers the QS AI Capability Framework to help universities track AI integration in research and operations.

He said AI-generated benchmarks and datasets are useful, but expert judgment is still needed to decide which questions matter and how results are interpreted.

Lim said university evaluations should move beyond measuring output and instead focus on what research and knowledge actually change in the real world.

Lim cited Hanyang University and Pusan National University as examples of institutions that rank well by making tangible local contributions through research and technology.

She said that by 2035, there will be greater focus on research that travels across borders and on partnerships that extend university impact globally.

Published Sep 15, 2026 4:33 pm KST

Emphasis shifts to trust, real-world impact

Leigh Kamolins, vice president of evaluation and insights at global higher education analytics firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), speaks during the 2026 Korea Times Global Conference at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping both universities and the systems used to evaluate them, but trust, human judgment and real-world impact will become more important as the technology advances, senior officials from two major global university ranking organizations said Tuesday.

Speaking at the 2026 Korea Times Global Conference, representatives from Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) and Times Higher Education (THE) discussed how AI is changing the way universities are assessed — from the data used in rankings to broader questions over what higher education should ultimately deliver for society.

Leigh Kamolins, vice president of evaluation and insights at QS, said AI is allowing ranking organizations to analyze a broader range of information with greater precision, including data on skills and how effectively universities prepare students for the workforce.

“One thing AI will allow us, these new tech approaches to university rankings, is providing us the opportunity to really provide a much broader and stronger evidence base for what we are doing,” Kamolins said during the conference at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building.

He said AI can help validate and clarify data sources more accurately while opening access to new datasets that shed light on areas such as skills development and workforce readiness, but stressed that QS does not rank universities based simply on their adoption or development of AI technology.

He noted that QS is the only major global ranking provider to incorporate graduate employability into its methodology, while also offering tools such as the QS AI Capability Framework to help universities assess and track how AI is being integrated into their research and institutional operations.

But Kamolins warned that greater use of AI in rankings cannot replace expert judgment.

“One thing that is absolutely critical is that we keep the expertise in making those critical choices as we go through this. AI cannot replace that. We need that to really come through and this is how we maintain trust in this type of analysis,” he said.

He said AI-generated benchmarks and datasets can provide useful information but may fail to identify what truly matters unless experts determine which questions should be asked and how the results should be interpreted.

“Trust is going to matter more than ever before. Those rankings will only be meaningful if we ask the right questions (and) bring the right expertise and agency into that decision-making,” Kamolins said.

“The winners in the AI era are not going to be those that have the most data, but they will be those that have the clearest purpose, the strongest judgment and the capacity to take in this insight and turn this into a real passion within their institutions.”

Mei Mei Lim, APAC region president of Times Higher Education (THE), speaks during the 2026 Korea Times Global Conference at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry building in Seoul, Tuesday. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Mei Mei Lim, Asia-Pacific region president of THE, likewise said AI is changing not only university rankings but the fundamental nature of universities themselves.

“AI, the reason why we are here today, is basically changing the way knowledge is created," Lim said.

But she said the widespread adoption of similar AI technologies could also make universities appear increasingly alike, creating greater pressure for institutions to identify and develop their distinctive strengths.

“What this means is every university starts to look the same,” she said. “What we see is an opportunity for you to leverage your strengths together with AI — and that will be what makes you unique.”

Lim argued that university evaluations should move beyond measuring how much research or knowledge institutions produce and focus instead on what that work changes in the real world. She said that as AI accelerates the production of research and knowledge, conventional output-based metrics may become less meaningful.

“We should perhaps think about not just measuring output anymore, but measuring impact — what it actually changes.”

She also pointed to AI as a potential tool for reducing Korea's heavy concentration of workers and opportunities in Seoul.

“We see here another opportunity for Korea,” Lim said, referring to government efforts to strengthen regional universities. “AI could reinforce Korea's concentration around Seoul or it could redistribute that opportunity to other regions.”

She cited Hanyang University and Pusan National University as prime examples of such institutions ranking high on THE’s list by making tangible, positive contributions locally through research and technology, alongside universities in China, Singapore and Malaysia.

Lim said Korean universities should also look beyond their local communities and ensure their research and technological achievements reach international audiences.

With universities facing demographic change, rapid AI adoption and shifting social expectations, she said greater emphasis should be placed on research that can travel across borders and on partnerships that allow institutions to extend their impact globally.

“By 2035, there becomes a greater focus then on research that travels ... There should therefore be a focus on how we share that research and industry with the rest of the world, (and) how we then form our partnerships as well,” she said.

专家周二在首尔举行的2026年《韩国时报》全球大会上表示，人工智能正在重塑大学排名和被排名的大学。QS世界大学排名的Leigh Kamolins表示，人工智能可以拓宽证据基础并改进数据分析，但无法取代专家判断。《泰晤士高等教育》的Mei Mei Lim表示，大学应该更加注重实际影响而非产出，并利用人工智能打造自身独特优势。她还表示，人工智能的使用方式可能会加剧或缓解韩国的“首尔中心”现象。

Kamolins表示，QS在其评估方法中使用了毕业生就业能力，并提供QS人工智能能力框架，以帮助大学跟踪人工智能在研究和运营中的应用。

他表示，人工智能生成的基准和数据集很有用，但仍然需要专家判断来决定哪些问题重要以及如何解释结果。

林表示，大学评价应该超越衡量产出，而应该关注研究和知识在现实世界中真正改变了什么。

林先生以汉阳大学和釜山国立大学为例，指出这些院校通过研究和技术为当地做出切实贡献，从而获得了较高的排名。

她表示，到 2035 年，将更加注重跨国界的研究以及能够扩大大学全球影响力的合作关系。

发布于2026年9月15日下午4:33（韩国标准时间）

重点转向信任和实际影响

全球高等教育分析公司 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) 评估与洞察副总裁 Leigh Kamolins 周二在首尔韩国商工会议所大楼举行的 2026 年《韩国时报》全球大会上发表讲话。《韩国时报》崔元硕摄

周二，两家全球主要大学排名机构的高级官员表示，人工智能 (AI) 正在重塑大学及其评估系统，但随着技术的进步，信任、人类判断和现实世界的影响将变得更加重要。

在 2026 年韩国时报全球大会上，Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) 和泰晤士高等教育 (THE) 的代表讨论了人工智能如何改变大学的评估方式——从排名中使用的数据到高等教育最终应该为社会带来什么的更广泛的问题。

QS评估与洞察副总裁Leigh Kamolins表示，人工智能使排名机构能够更精确地分析更广泛的信息，包括技能数据以及大学如何有效地为学生进入职场做好准备。

“人工智能将使我们有机会为大学排名提供更广泛、更强有力的证据基础，这是我们所做的事情，”卡莫林斯在韩国工商会大楼举行的会议上说。

他表示，人工智能可以帮助更准确地验证和澄清数据来源，同时开放对新数据集的访问，从而揭示技能发展和劳动力准备等领域，但他强调，QS 排名并非仅仅基于大学对人工智能技术的采用或开发。

他指出，QS是唯一一家将毕业生就业能力纳入其方法论的主要全球排名机构，同时还提供QS人工智能能力框架等工具，以帮助大学评估和跟踪人工智能如何融入其研究和机构运营中。

但卡莫林斯警告说，在排名中更多地使用人工智能并不能取代专家判断。

他说：“至关重要的是，我们必须保持在这个过程中做出关键决策的专业知识。人工智能无法取代这一点。我们需要真正发挥这种专业优势，而这正是我们维持对这类分析信任的方式。”

他表示，人工智能生成的基准和数据集可以提供有用的信息，但除非专家确定应该提出哪些问题以及如何解释结果，否则可能无法识别真正重要的东西。

“信任将比以往任何时候都更加重要。只有当我们提出正确的问题，并将正确的专业知识和权力引入决策过程时，这些排名才有意义，”卡莫林斯说。

“人工智能时代的赢家不会是那些拥有最多数据的人，而是那些目标最明确、判断力最强、并且有能力吸收这些洞察力并将其转化为其机构内部真正热情的人。”

泰晤士高等教育（THE）亚太区总裁林美美（Mei Mei Lim）周二在首尔韩国商工会议所大楼举行的2026年《韩国时报》全球大会上发表讲话。（《韩国时报》崔元硕摄）

泰晤士高等教育亚太区总裁林美美也表示，人工智能不仅改变了大学排名，也改变了大学本身的根本性质。

林说：“人工智能，也就是我们今天聚集于此的原因，它从根本上改变了知识的创造方式。”

但她表示，类似人工智能技术的广泛应用也可能使大学看起来越来越相似，从而给各院校带来更大的压力，促使它们发现并发展自身独特的优势。

“这意味着每所大学看起来都会千篇一律，”她说。“我们看到的是一个机会，让你们能够将自身优势与人工智能结合起来——而这才是让你们与众不同的地方。”

林认为，大学评价不应再仅仅关注机构产出了多少研究成果或知识，而应着重关注这些成果在现实世界中产生了哪些影响。她指出，随着人工智能加速研究和知识的生产，传统的基于产出的评价指标可能会变得不再那么有意义。

“我们或许应该考虑的不仅仅是衡量产出，而是衡量影响——它实际改变了什么。”

她还指出，人工智能可以作为减少韩国劳动力和就业机会高度集中于首尔的潜在工具。

林先生表示：“我们看到了韩国的另一个机遇。”他指的是政府为加强区域性大学所做的努力。“人工智能可能会巩固韩国在首尔的产业集中优势，也可能将这一机遇重新分配给其他地区。”

她以汉阳大学和釜山国立大学为例，指出这些院校通过研究和技术为当地做出了切实、积极的贡献，与中国、新加坡和马来西亚的大学一起，在泰晤士高等教育排名中名列前茅。

林表示，韩国大学也应该放眼本地社区之外，确保其研究和技术成果能够被国际受众所接受。

她表示，鉴于大学面临人口结构变化、人工智能的快速普及和不断变化的社会期望，应该更加重视能够跨越国界的研究，以及能够让机构在全球范围内扩大影响力的合作关系。

“到 2035 年，我们将更加关注能够传播的研究……因此，我们应该关注如何与世界其他地区分享这些研究和产业成果，以及我们如何建立合作伙伴关系，”她说道。