Higher education is the cradle of knowledge management, so it is only natural that the Knowledge Hub educational knowledge management podcast explores the relationship between artificial intelligence, education, and knowledge management from this perspective.

In the post-Covid years, most universities acknowledged that digitally supported learning and teaching had become indispensable across disciplines. Yet the rapid leaps in AI are now setting a completely new direction. Through their training sessions for lecturers, conferences, and research activities, Ida and Jo are helping the entire Hungarian higher education sector to find its bearings in this unfamiliar terrain.
Universities’ traditional roles as centres of knowledge and vehicles of knowledge transfer are shifting. “Students and the labour market alike demand increasingly practical knowledge,” Ida notes. The structure of study programmes is also becoming more flexible: many professionals are returning to university years, sometimes decades, after graduation to acquire additional qualifications and knowledge relevant to their current interests and needs.

Research into digital practices has already shown that excellence in using AI is not a matter of age or gender. The real key is a willingness to keep learning and to stay abreast of technological developments. This mindset aligns well with the principle of lifelong learning – but making it successful and widely accepted will require a cultural shift.

What should we prepare for as AI spreads more widely?

Unsurprisingly, many lecturers are nervous, both guests report. Some fear for their positions, worrying that AI may one day replace them. Others are concerned about academic dishonesty, suspecting that students will use AI tools to complete tasks undetected. Given that detection tools are still unreliable, a more effective strategy is to redesign assignments to suit the new context.
The focus is shifting from traditional digital skills towards competence in AI use. Responding to this, the Research Centre launched a programme called “AI May”, offering three dedicated courses for lecturers:

• Supporting academic design work (course structures, lesson planning, simplifying teaching)
• Rethinking assessment (AI-compatible courses, assignments, and submissions)
• Prompting strategies (how to use AI tools effectively)

What is a prompt?

A “prompt” is the instruction, request, or question given to an AI tool such as ChatGPT. A well-designed prompt can save significant time and often yield better results.

As Jo emphasises, it is crucial to understand that AI itself is not new. What has changed – and is still changing rapidly – is its accessibility. The most transformative leap has been the development of Large Language Models (LLMs), which have effectively “burst through the door” of higher education. Yet these are not intelligent machines; rather, they are algorithms trained on vast datasets, stringing words (or smaller units called tokens) together based on probability. While their functions resemble human thought, they are not conscious or thinking entities. Hence the importance of users critically reviewing any AI-generated content before using or publishing it.
These emerging literacies will be vital for future employers and employees alike – yet human qualities will remain just as crucial, particularly in teaching professions, Ida adds.

What shortcomings has AI exposed?

“Flexibility – especially in higher education,” Ida asserts. Universities remain notoriously slow to adapt. This was already evident during the Covid-19 pandemic, when many institutions struggled to make the necessary shifts. In contrast, the current changes are less urgent, meaning the pressure on academics and administrators is weaker. Some Hungarian universities (e.g. ELTE Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Debrecen) have already introduced certain policies and recommendations, but most have not yet done so.

As Jo explains, a chain reaction seems to be under way: once a few institutions adopt new regulations, others gradually follow suit. Initially, many universities banned AI outright. Yet as they saw their peers exploring integration, they began to loosen restrictions and adjust their own policies. Today, the leading universities worldwide are clearly moving towards integration rather than exclusion.

At the same time, caution is widespread – understandably so, given the risks. What will happen to the role of universities as centres of knowledge if AI disrupts their foundations? How can ethical use be safeguarded? Institutions must prepare themselves to provide answers to such questions in due time.

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Members of the episode:

Dr Ida Dringó-Horváth, Centre Director – ICT Research Centre, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary

Dr Ida Dringó-Horváth is a habilitated Associate Professor, Director of the ICT Research Centre and the Centre for Educational Informatics at the Faculty of Humanities, Károli Gáspár University. Her research and teaching focus on the development of digital competence and the integration of digital technologies into learning and teaching, with particular emphasis on language education and teacher training. Since 2018, her work has increasingly concentrated on pedagogical methodology for higher education teaching staff. In connection with artificial intelligence, beyond research and educational applications and its integration into professional development programmes, she also provides strategic advice. She is a member of the university’s committee “Artificial Intelligence in the Educational Structures of Károli Gáspár University”, established in autumn 2023.

More information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ida-dringo-horvath/

Johanna (Jo) Szőke, E-learning Specialist and AI Expert – ICT Research Centre, Károli Gáspár University of the Reformed Church in Hungary

Jo Szőke works as an e-learning specialist at the ICT Research Centre of Károli Gáspár University. Passionate about teacher development, she also teaches on the university’s English teacher training programme and works as a freelance teacher trainer, blogger, and English teacher. Enthralled by technology, she first became involved in online teaching during the pandemic, and since early 2023 has focused on artificial intelligence in education. She regularly speaks at national and international conferences on English language teaching, AI, online education, and assessment and evaluation.

More information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanna-szoke/

Bertalan Péter Farkas, editor-in-chief of Knowledge Hub podcast

Bertalan Péter Farkas is a knowledge manager, consultant, trainer, and project manager, with a background as a geography and history teacher. In his daily work he supports global knowledge management for leadership consultants, coaches, and international experts, while as an entrepreneur he focuses on advancing the Hungarian and European education sectors. He graduated as a geography–history teacher from Eötvös Loránd University, taught for several years, and then worked at state agencies (Educatio, EMET, Tempus). For nearly six years he led the Knowledge Management Department of the Tempus Public Foundation. As Managing Director of Learnitect Design Ltd., he works on knowledge management, the design of learning environments that facilitate knowledge transfer, as well as organising online and offline learning, designing community spaces, and managing international projects. He first conceived the idea of the Csomópont podcast in 2022, which became reality in autumn 2023.