Universities Risk Wasting Their AI Investment Because Their Information Isn’t Ready, Warns FormusPro

Universities risk wasting their investment in artificial intelligence (AI) because the information supporting it is outdated, duplicated or poorly managed, according to award winning Microsoft solutions partner FormusPro.

The company warns that buying Microsoft Copilot licences doesn’t automatically make an institution AI-ready. The quality of its answers will depend heavily on the information it can access.

Universities generate and manage vast amounts of knowledge across admissions, student services, research, finance, HR and academic departments. However, this information often sits across SharePoint, Teams, student record systems, CRM platforms and local document libraries.

When policies conflict or several versions of the same document exist, AI can make those weaknesses more visible.

“Universities don’t have an information shortage,” said Johannes Strack, Dynamics 365 CE Sales Executive at FormusPro. “They’ve an information management challenge.

“Copilot can help staff find answers far more quickly, but speed isn’t enough. Those answers must also be accurate, current and based on trusted sources. If an outdated policy is still accessible, AI may surface it faster. That doesn’t create the underlying problem, but it can expose how difficult institutional knowledge has become to manage.”

FormusPro says universities should review their information before expanding Copilot across every department. This includes identifying trusted sources, removing duplicate content and assigning clear ownership to important documents.

Existing permissions also need careful review. Copilot respects the access controls already applied across Microsoft 365 and connected systems. However, those controls can’t protect information correctly if they were poorly configured beforehand.

Rather than beginning with a university-wide deployment, FormusPro recommends starting with one defined service or operational problem.

An admissions team could use a Copilot Agent to access trusted information about courses, entry requirements and application processes. Student Services could use one to navigate wellbeing, accommodation or financial guidance. IT teams could help staff answer routine support questions using approved documentation.

“Licence numbers are a poor measure of AI readiness,” Strack continued. “A better test is whether staff can find information they trust and whether someone is responsible for keeping it current. Universities should begin with a service where better access to knowledge will make a measurable difference. They can then improve the information behind it, test the answers and expand once staff have confidence in the results.”

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