CNIPES National Diagnosis of AI in Portuguese Higher Education — A 68-Institution Survey Proposing 'Know, Do, Be Without AI'

In April 2026 the Portuguese Council for Pedagogical Innovation in Higher Education (CNIPES), through a Digital and AI in Education working group created by Despacho n.º 10945/2025, published through DGES the first comprehensive national diagnosis of AI in higher education.
The findings draw on responses from 68 institutions plus a review of international, governmental and university strategies. Existing AI use is reported by 52.9% of institutions in teaching, 42.6% in research and 26.5% in management. The central conclusion is that adoption has outpaced institutional capacity to set clear, consistent and comparable rules; many institutions still lack explicit usage rules.
The report proposes three pillars for institutional integration: 'Saber sobre IA' (conceptual, ethical and epistemic literacy), 'Fazer com IA' (pedagogical and creative uses) and 'Ser sem IA' (preserving autonomy and critical judgement, including recognising when to limit or decline AI). It calls for human mediation and fact-checking of AI outputs as the starting point of governance.
Limits: this is a self-reported institutional survey. The public summaries do not state response rate or method detail, and no learning outcomes are measured, so the evidence supports its value as a governance baseline rather than proof of impact.

Read the full analysis: https://dges.gov.pt/pt/content/inteligencia-artificial-no-ensino-superior-em-portugal-diagnostico-nacional-para-governacao