Abstract

This paper examines the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in university governance through an interdisciplinary lens that combines business administration and information technology. Rather than viewing AI merely as a pedagogical support tool, the paper conceptualizes it as a strategic managerial capability that can reshape institutional planning, administrative operations, service quality, quality assurance, research management, and stakeholder engagement. Using a conceptual and policy-analytic approach, the study synthesizes international scholarship on AI in higher education and interprets it in light of Vietnam’s evolving policy environment. The analysis indicates that AI can enhance evidence-based decision-making, process automation, student success management, risk monitoring, and institutional competitiveness. However, these gains depend on the maturity of data governance, system interoperability, cybersecurity, human resource capacity, and ethical oversight. From a business administration perspective, the critical issue is not technology adoption per se, but strategic alignment, governance design, cost-benefit discipline, and change management. From an information technology perspective, the essential requirements are robust data architecture, system integration, algorithmic transparency, and human-in-the-loop control. In Vietnam, recent policy commitments to AI and digital transformation in education provide a supportive direction, yet universities continue to face fragmented data ecosystems, uneven digital capabilities, legal ambiguity, and institutional inequality. The paper proposes six policy priorities: a national framework for AI in higher education governance; interoperable data infrastructure; digital leadership development; responsible procurement and pilot-based implementation; ethical and legal safeguards; and collaborative platforms for inter-university learning. The study contributes an integrated framework for understanding AI-enabled university governance and offers practical guidance for Vietnamese institutions seeking to modernize in a responsible and context-sensitive manner.