On 9 April 2026, DigiMedia contributed to the CNIPES event Liderança Estratégica para a Inteligência Artificial na Educação Superior, held in Tomar and dedicated to the governance, opportunities, and institutional challenges of artificial intelligence in higher education. Bringing together institutional leaders (rectors and vice-rectors), international experts, and policymakers, the event created a space for strategic reflection on how higher education institutions can respond to AI in ways that are ethically grounded, pedagogically meaningful, and aligned with their educational mission.

One of DigiMedia’s central contributions to the event was the presentation “Liderança e governação da IA no Ensino Superior: diagnóstico global e orientações estratégicas,” delivered by Sandra Soares and Nelson Zagalo. The presentation drew on the work developed for the report Inteligência Artificial no Ensino Superior em Portugal: Diagnóstico nacional para governação institucional, coordinated by Nelson Zagalo and authored with DigiMedia researchers Filipe Silva and Syeda Faryal. Developed within DigiMedia’s AI in HE project, the report combined four complementary strands of research: the analysis of 30 international, national, and institutional policy documents, a systematic review of 191 peer-reviewed studies on AI use in higher education, an examination of public and media concerns surrounding generative AI, and a national survey of 68 Portuguese higher education institutions. This work has helped build a foundation for institutional decision-making in this area by supporting the development of evidence-based recommendations to the Ministry of Education.

Beyond the presentation itself, DigiMedia’s contribution also extended to the design of the Decision Table activity, presented as a practical instrument to support institutional reflection on AI governance. Structured around four dimensions (Permit, Prevent, Organize, and Measure), the activity invited participants to consider issues such as acceptable uses of AI in student services and accessibility, conditions for safe experimentation, red lines involving sensitive data or high-impact automated decisions, minimum governance structures, and indicators of institutional maturity. In this sense, DigiMedia helped move the discussion beyond general principles, offering participants a concrete framework for thinking about AI implementation in higher education settings.