At The Straits Times Education Forum, titled AI in Higher Education: Hype or Hope?, panellists examined how universities must evolve as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly embedded in daily life. Held at SMU Yong Pung How School of Law on 1 April 2026, the discussion centred on a clear shift: from imparting knowledge to cultivating deeper human capabilities such as judgment, resilience, and problem framing. Moderated by SMU Vice President (Partnerships and Engagement) and Lee Kong Chian Professor of Communication & Technology Lim Sun Sun, the panel underscored the need to move beyond broad knowledge acquisition towards more applied, practice-oriented expertise. SMU Provost Alan Chan, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple Chair Professor of Inter-Religious Studies and Harmony, emphasised that university education remains critical in cultivating habits of mind and intellectual discipline, adding that without a firm grounding in foundational concepts, students risk becoming passive consumers of AI. Drawing an analogy to gongfu, Prof Chan stressed that mastery in any domain begins with strong fundamentals.