With global higher education developing in leaps and bounds, open universities, as pioneers in educational innovation, are facing unprecedented opportunities and challenges. The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence technology, particularly with the emergence of generative tools such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek, has brought both opportunities and challenges to open universities. The challenges include teaching quality, assessment methods, and learner engagement. In the face of it, the Global Dialogue Forum on Opportunities and Challenges for Open Universities in the AI Era was held in Beijing from March 5 to 6. The event was hosted by the UNESCO Chair on Artificial Intelligence in Education and Beijing Normal University(BNU), and co-organized by Athabasca University (Canada), the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (Tunisia), and the Open University of China. 

Presidents, vice-presidents, academic experts, and representatives of international organizations from 23 open universities across 11 countries and regions attended the forum, including China, the United Kingdom, Canada, Malaysia, the Philippines, Spain, and Palestine. Forum guests engaged in both online and offline discussions on the impact of AI technologies on the development of open universities and explored coping strategies. Distinguished guests attended the opening ceremony, including Professor Chen Guangju, former Vice-President of BNU; Professor Huang Ronghuai, Co-Dean of the Smart Learning Institute of BNU and UNESCO Chairholder in Artificial Intelligence in Education; Li Song, Vice-President of the Open University of China; Zhang Zongwang, Party Secretary of Tianjin Open University, and Wang Zhengdong, President of Zhejiang Open University.

A picture of the forum site

At the opening ceremony, Prof. Huang Ronghuai and Vice President Li Song delivered keynote addresses, outlining the forum’s direction and laying a foundation for subsequent discussions.Prof. Huang Ronghuai emphasized that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence is reshaping global education. Open universities, as pioneers in technological applications, stand at a historic juncture, playing a critical role in this transformation.Vice President Li Song noted that global education is currently undergoing profound changes driven by emerging technologies, particularlyartificial intelligence, which have accelerated the upgrading of educational models. He pointed out that open universities, serving as essential institutions for lifelong learning, are facing new opportunities and significant challenges, and the mission of open universities is to expand boundaries and provide equitable, high-quality education for all.

Professor Huang Ronghuai, Chairholder of the UNESCO Chair on Artificial Intelligence in Education and Professor at Beijing Normal University 

The experts and scholars made speeches on topics including "Sustainable Development Models: The Mission and Opportunities for Open Universities","AI Policies Driving Educational Transformation: Technological Empowerment and Ethical Balance","Micro-credentials and Blockchain: The Intelligent Transformation of Educational Certification" and "From Challenges to Opportunities: Future Development Pathways for Open Universities".

Zhang Zongwang, Party Secretary of Tianjin Open University

Rob Farrow, Senior Research Fellow at the Open University UK and Co-Director of the Global OER Graduate Network (GO-GN)

Ahmad Izanee Awang, President of Open University Malaysia

Ching Tan, Professor at Athabasca University

Li Song, Vice President of the Open University of China

Nantha Kumar Subramaniam, Deputy Dean of the Facultyof Technology and Applied Sciences at Open University Malaysia

Wang Zhengdong, President of Zhejiang Open University

Qujiang Shangma, President of Qinghai Open University

Melinda DP. Bandalaria, Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Open University

The forum also featured special sessions such as thematic panel discussions and visits to educational technology enterprises, offering experts, scholars, and industry representatives opportunities for in-depth dialogue and cross-sector collaboration. During the thematic panel discussions, guests exchanged ideas for the future development of open universities, focusing on achieving sustainable development pathways, coping with the challenges of academic integrity in the generative AI era, narrowing digital divides across regions and groups, guaranteeing data security, privacy protection and ethics in personalized learning environments, and other crucial issues like the innovation of operational and governance models for open universities when heading to intelligent transformation. 

Representatives from Universidad Internacional de La Rioja (Spain), the University of the Philippines Open University, and Anadolu University’s Open Education Faculty (Turkey) shared their experience on how artificial intelligence (AI) technology empowers education in remote areas by showing successful cases in promoting educational inclusivity. China Unicom presented its Xingluo computing resource scheduling platform and intelligent education large language model, showcasing technological support for balancing educational resources. The experts unanimously agreed that open universities should fully leverage the potential of AI technologies to further explore solutions for promoting educational equity, enhancing teaching quality, and optimizing learning experiences. By doing so, intelligent transformations can benefit more learners, achieving genuine universal access and sustainable development in education. 

At the closing ceremony, Professor Huang cited a classic management metaphor, “If you have a hammer in your hand, everything looks like a nail,” to emphasize the application of technologies should not have a single　narrow approach, but shouldembrace diverse and collaborative innovation. This forum offered a valuable opportunity to gather global wisdom and engage in meaningful dialogue. After two days of deep discussions on issues like sustainable development, AI ethics and governance, micro-credentialing, and global collaboration, participants reached a consensus that future development should be driven by technological innovation, supported by quality assurance, and connected through open cooperation, jointly building an inclusive and equitable lifelong learning ecosystem. Professor Huang called upon the international education community to deepen cooperation further and transform the forum’s outcomes into actionable initiatives. Proposed measures include establishing an international working group, publishing research reports and case studies on AI and open universities, and developing quality assurance standards, all aimed at fostering a more inclusive global open education partnership network. The successful conclusion of the forum has provided significant momentum for further research and actions. Moving forward, continued international cooperation will catalyze the transformation of insights into tangible educational reforms and achievements.