# Ep. 27 The Future of Higher Education with Nick Dirks

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/unfixed-how-ai-is-reshaping-the-university-7342550/ep-27-the-future-of-higher-education-with-nick-dirks.md
Podcast: [Unfixed: How AI Is Reshaping the University](https://stenobird.com/podcast/unfixed-how-ai-is-reshaping-the-university-7342550)
Published: 2026-04-20T07:05:28+00:00
Episode link: https://www.meltsintoair.org/unfixedpodcast/ep-27-the-future-of-higher-education-with-nick-dirks
Audio file: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5f624c707d4c797a5b5177f9/t/69d6d58ac5353a76f05953a5/1775687170156/ND+Interview+-+RTG.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/unfixed-how-ai-is-reshaping-the-university-7342550/episodes/ep-27-the-future-of-higher-education-with-nick-dirks
Duration seconds: 2341

## Resource

In this episode of Unfixed, we talk with Nicholas (Nick) Dirks, President and CEO of the New York Academy of Sciences and former Chancellor of UC Berkeley, about what AI really means for the future of higher education. Rather than treating generative AI as just another technological shift, Dirks helps us unpack where institutions may be misreading the moment—and what a serious response could look like. We explore the growing pressures on universities, from legitimacy and funding to enrollment and disruption, and what role they should play in a rapidly changing world. The conversation ultimately asks a bigger question: what is the university actually for in the decades ahead?

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## Transcript

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