Artificial Intelligence as a Driver of Innovation and Digital Transformation in Higher Education: Nano Review

Abstract Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging as a foundational driver of innovation and digital transformation in higher education. Beyond its role as a teaching tool, AI functions as a general-purpose digital capability that reshapes learning, academic services, and institutional management. Digital transformation in universities involves the strategic integration of digital technologies to improve performance, automate processes, and enable new forms of value creation and organizational models. This transformation is further supported by the development of shared digital learning spaces, where educational activities, institutional roles, and the boundaries between campus and society are reconfigured through digital systems. Together, these dynamics position AI as a central mechanism for strengthening educational quality, institutional effectiveness, and long-term competitiveness in higher education. Keywords Artificial Intelligence; Innovation; Digital Transformation; Higher Education; Educational Technology; Institutional Change; Digital Learning Environment; University Governance