Imperial College London: Building a coordinated approach to AI adoption with QS

The challenge

Like many universities, Imperial College London had seen AI adoption emerge across operations, teaching, and research. While this created significant innovation, much of the activity was happening independently, making it difficult to gain a clear view of institutional progress and priorities.

The solution

Imperial Business School used the QS AI Capability Self-Assessment to assess AI maturity across the institution, map existing activity and identify opportunities for greater alignment.

Rather than focusing on individual projects, the framework enabled Imperial to evaluate AI adoption holistically across governance, operations, teaching and research.

“The framework gave us a structured way to step back and look at the bigger picture,” Cloda Jenkins, Associate Dean, Education Pedagogy and Innovation at Imperial College London said. “Rather than focusing only on individual pilots or isolated initiatives, it helped us assess institutional capability more holistically.”

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The impact

The assessment helped Imperial:

• Create a clearer picture of AI activity across the institution

• Bring together colleagues from different departments and functions

• Identify strengths, gaps and opportunities for improvement

• Support the creation of AI-focused committees and working groups

• Inform wider university discussions on AI governance and strategy

The process also highlighted the importance of connecting staff already experimenting with AI and creating stronger pathways for sharing knowledge and best practice.

A key insight: AI is about people, not just technology

One of the most valuable findings came from the Governance and Human Commitment pillar.

While AI discussions often focus on tools, Imperial found that successful adoption depends on organisational readiness, leadership, governance and collaboration.

“A lot of conversations around AI naturally focus on tools and technology, but the framework helped reinforce that successful adoption is really about people and institutional readiness.”

The framework encouraged discussions around ethics, transparency, wellbeing, accountability and responsible AI adoption across the institution.

Advice for other universities

Imperial's recommendation is to avoid treating AI solely as a technology initiative.

“Don't approach AI purely as a technology project. Think about what the outcomes are that you want to achieve as a university and be intentional about how using AI responsibly can help with this.”

By providing a structured assessment across four key pillars, the QS AI Capability Self-Assessment helps universities understand their current AI maturity, identify priorities and build a more coordinated approach to institutional transformation.