Kortext at EDUCAUSE 2026
Every vendor at EDUCAUSE 2026 had an AI story to tell. For the higher education leaders in Denver, the harder question was which of those stories they could actually put into practice.
For Kortext’s first EDUCAUSE, Michael Lynn (Vice President, University Partnerships, Data, Analytics and AI) and Mike Ford (Channel Relationship Manager) were joined by Kathleen Hayes (Senior Director, New Technologies) from our partner Follett Corporation. Together, they spent the event speaking with CIOs, provosts and technology leaders.
The scale was hard to miss. AI appeared at almost every booth, from teaching and learning tools to infrastructure, hardware, security and business systems like ERP and CRM.
“One attendee at our booth said the AI directive at his institution was like the Monty Python skit where the starting whistle blows and every runner heads off in a different direction. That captured what I saw at EDUCAUSE. CIOs were walking the exhibit hall looking for the one to three AI discoveries worth taking back to their institution.”
Kathleen Hayes, Follett Corp.
Beneath the excitement around AI, a recurring concern emerged: how institutions can move quickly without losing control.
“CIOs are overwhelmed by the pace of change. There’s a real tension between intellectual freedom and the exploration of AI tools on one hand, and data governance, security, policy and standardization on the other.”
Michael Lynn, Kortext
Conversations around shadow IT, reframed as “citizen development,” highlighted another challenge facing institutions: creating room for exploration while maintaining oversight of how new tools are used.
Trust and transparency came up just as often, and the questions quickly got specific: what a tool actually does and where its answers come from.
“AI is everywhere and now overused. On its own, it doesn’t resonate with what an institution is looking for. Several people reacted well when they learned Kortext IQ is ring-fenced, referencing only learning materials and university-approved content.”
Mike Ford, Kortext
In practice, ring-fencing gives institutions greater confidence in the sources behind AI responses, directly addressing many of the governance concerns raised throughout the event.
For all the pressure, there was real curiosity too. Interest in teaching and learning tools remained strong, particularly where they could provide new insights through learning analytics.
The balance between exploration and control is exactly what Kortext IQ was designed to support. As institutions move from AI experimentation to implementation, we’re looking forward to continuing these conversations across the sector.
