AI without Emotional Intelligence Destroys Academia

Bangladeshi universities are seemingly caught in a state of sudden hyper-vigilance over artificial intelligence (AI), yet remain somewhat indifferent to the integration of emotional intelligence (EI) in their curricula. Some academics, deans and vice-chancellors across higher education institutions are now expressing concerns, viewing AI as an existential threat to traditional testing/assessment, human cognition and academic creativity. However, their preparation for tackling the situation (adverse impact of AI) is lopsided. It seems that our institutions are ignoring the very shield that protects human uniqueness: emotional intelligence. If our universities do not systematically foster emotional awareness, self-regulation and empathy alongside technical skills or soft skills, we will produce a generation incapable of standing up to the machines they are meant to command. Revising our university curricula to anchor EI is no longer an elective upgrade; it is an imperative for human survival.

We must control AI and harness it for human benefit rather than letting it dominate the human brain. If we surrender our cognitive agency to automated systems, AI will quietly erode our capacity to think critically, feel sensitively, and create independently. The danger is not just a killer robot from a sci-fi film. It is the slow voluntary abdication of human intellect to machine convenience. We must treat AI strictly as an auxiliary tool. Universities, of course, have a duty to teach students how to dominate the machine, ensuring that algorithms serve human prosperity, ethical standards and community welfare rather than allowing algorithmic logic to reshape our neural pathways and social fabric.

To counter this, integrating the liberal arts across all undergraduate or Bachelor’s degree programmes is desperately required. This integration is a massive challenge in an age of capitalist consumerism that treats students as mere corporate inputs. Without deep training in the social arts, learners will degenerate into passive consumers of commercial content and products. Higher education must instil critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, empathy, teamwork, analytical depth, mutual respect, and tolerance. Crucially, we must not confuse “emotional intelligence” with basic “soft skills” or office etiquette. While technical expertise and professional communication are necessary, true EI dictates how and why those skills are used. When AI poses a direct threat to our existence, a lack of deep emotional intelligence will leave our youth utterly defenceless. This threat is not hyperbole; it is a serious warning echoed by leading global AI experts, scientists and STEM academics who categorically state that technological advancement without ethical anchoring leads to societal collapse.

Some of our local academics seem to have become obsessed with AI integration without actually understanding its mechanics or implications. University campuses are flooded with seminars, international conferences, and webinars dedicated to machine learning and automation. Yet, a closer look reveals a grim reality. The vast majority of our faculty and students hardly understand how to handle AI responsibly in classrooms, let alone workplaces. Instead of rushing to build half-baked AI labs, our academics need to champion interdisciplinary approaches by embedding the humanities core into every science, business and engineering stream. Empathy, critical reflection and moral decision-making are the ultimate weapons for human continuity.

We need a generation that is ethically robust and morally courageous, individuals who can make rapid, humane decisions that will protect both people and the planet. Sadly, Bangladeshi academia often produces intellectuals who accept policy directives uncritically. Campus debate has been hollowed out into a scripted reality show. Many academics fear genuine dialogue and open disagreement, choosing to follow administrative decrees without questioning. 

Academia must reclaim its role as the vanguard of the nation’s future. The sustainability of our society relies entirely on how effectively we cultivate emotional intelligence to govern AI. Our current obsession with tech-worship without soul-searching will lead to systemic destruction. While the University Grants Commission (UGC) of Bangladesh is currently finalising its “Five-Year National Action Plan” to introduce standardised Outcome-Based Education (OBE) across all universities, these frameworks heavily focus on market employability, digital transformation and technical AI utilisation. They leave the vital human elements of emotional and psychological resilience noticeably under-addressed.

To reverse this trajectory, Bangladeshi higher education must execute a series of urgent structural updates to revive community collaboration, critical thinking, and empathy within these emerging frameworks. Every undergraduate student, whether studying computer science or business administration, must complete core courses in emotional intelligence, philosophy, academic writing (for English-language proficiency) and tech ethics under the UGC’s General Education guidelines. Engineering and Science curricula must break their insular silos, utilising the UGC’s flexible OBE curriculum structures to dedicate at least 15 per cent of their course credits to the liberal arts, literature and human psychology.

Universities must move away from rote memorisation and heavy testing that AI can easily replicate and manipulate and transition toward viva-voces, collaborative field projects, impromptu presentations (without using power-points/slides) and reflective essays that require human empathy and critical judgment. University administrations must foster an environment of open dialogue, encouraging faculty to practise and model the very critical thinking and dissent they are expected to teach students in the classroom. Academics must not fear expressing their views and critical thought in making the university a site of intellectual activities and innovations.

Let emotional intelligence control the rise of artificial intelligence. This must be the ultimate goal of today’s higher education. In fact, the academics’ role is crucial. 
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The writer is an Associate Professor of the Department of English at Stamford University Bangladesh. He can be contacted at [email protected]