The 2026 Student Guide to Artificial Intelligence is published by Elon University, the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) and The Princeton Review. It is a continuation of a 2023 global collaboration coordinated by Elon’s Imagining the Digital Fugute Center that established a statement of principles to guide development of AI policies and practices in higher education. The statement was released at the United Nations Internet Governance Forum in Kyoto, Japan, and was supported by more than 140 higher education organizations, administrators, researchers and faculty members from 48 countries.
CONTACT
For more information about the Guide and Elon’s Imagining the Digital Future Center, contact lead author Daniel J. Anderson, special assistant to the president, Elon University.
Licensing
© 2026 Elon University. This work is licensed under Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-SA 4.0. You are free to share and adapt this work for noncommercial purposes, but attribution to Elon University is required.
Colleges and universities may request a customized version of the Guide including their institution’s logo on the cover. For information about receiving a custom-cover logo, send a request to imagine@elon.edu.
About the publishing partners
Elon University is the nationally recognized leader in experiential learning, preparing graduates to be creative, resilient, ambitious and ethical global citizens. For five consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Elon #1 in the nation for undergraduate teaching excellence and the leader in programs that promote student success. Elon enrolls more than 7,000 students at its main campus in Elon, North Carolina, and national campus locations in Greensboro, Charlotte, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. Elon University’s Imagining the Digital Future Center is an interdisciplinary research center focused on the impact of accelerating digital change and the challenges that lie ahead.
President: Connie Ledoux Book
The American Association of Colleges and Universities is a global membership organization dedicated to advancing the democratic purposes of higher education by promoting equity, innovation, and excellence in liberal education. Through our programs and events, publications and research, public advocacy, and campus-based projects, AAC&U serves as a catalyst and facilitator for innovations that improve educational quality and equity and that support the success of all students. In addition to accredited public and private, two-year and four-year colleges and universities, and state higher education systems and agencies throughout the United States, our membership includes degree-granting higher education institutions around the world as well as other organizations and individuals.
President: Lynn C. Pasquerella
The Princeton Review is a leading tutoring, test prep and college admission services company. Every year, it helps millions of college- and graduate school-bound students achieve their education and career goals through online and in person courses delivered by a network of more than 4,000 teachers and tutors, online resources, and its more than 150 print and digital books published by Penguin Random House. The company is not affiliated with Princeton University.
Editor-in-Chief: Rob Franek
Endorsed by:
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Authors
Daniel J. Anderson (lead author): Special assistant to the president, Elon University
Lee Rainie: Director, Imagining the Digital Future Center, Elon University
Janna Anderson: Professor of communications, senior researcher, Imagining the Digital Future Center, Elon University
Collaborating scholars, editors and reviewers
Haya Ajjan: Dean, Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, Elon University
Mustafa Akben: Assistant professor of management, director of artificial intelligence integration, Elon University
Patrick Awuah, Jr.: President, Ashesi University (Ghana)
Dylan Barth: Vice president of innovation and programs, Online Learning Consortium
Sarah Bunnell: Director, Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, Elon University
David Bray: Distinguished chair of the Accelerator at the Stimson Center; Principal LeadDoAdapt Ventures
Emma Dooley: Marquette University Class of 2026, statistical science major
Peter Felten: Assistant provost for teaching and learning, exec. director, Center for Engaged Learning, Elon University
Divina Frau-Meigs: Professor, Sorbonne Nouvelle University (France); co-founder and president Savoir Devinir
Ioana Galleron: Professor of French literature and digital humanities, Sorbonne Nouvelle University (France)
Christopher Harris: American Library Association senior fellow; School Library Systems, Genesee Valley (NY) BOCES
Klaus Bruhn Jensen: Professor of communication, University of Copenhagen (Denmark)
Mitch Kase, Executive director, Center for Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Assessment, Hofstra University
Kristina Meinking: Professor of classical languages, trustee chair of excellence in undergraduate teaching, Elon University
Hoda Mostafa: Director, Center for Learning and Teaching, The American University in Cairo (Egypt)
Arlindo Oliveira: Distinguished professor, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon (Portugal) ; president, Institute of Systems and Computer Engineering (INESC)
Sonia Parratt: Professor of journalism, Complutense University of Madrid (Spain)
Tim Peeples: Professor of humanities and senior associate provost emeritus, Elon University
Luis Germán Rodríguez Leal: Professor, Central University of Venezuela
Paula Rosinski: Professor of English and director of Writing Across the University, Elon University
Philippa K. Smith: Digital media expert, research consultant and commentator based in New Zealand
Brian Southwell: Distinguished Fellow, RTI International
Evelyne Tauchnitz: Senior researcher and lecturer, Institute of Social Ethics, University of Lucerne (Switzerland)
C. Edward Watson: Vice president for digital innovation, AAC&U
Use of Generative AI in production of the Guide
Writing, editing and design for this guide was done by humans working in collaboration with one another. AI tools were used to research and brainstorm content, suggest improvements and create and manipulate images. AI tools used in production of this guide include ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity and MidJourney.