Introduction

The landscape of higher education (HE) is changing. Over the last decade, almost every HE institution has started on the journey of digital transformation, which has created an identity crisis for academic staff. The speed and scope of digital transformation in the HE sector have increased due to the rapid developments in generative artificial intelligence (AI). Thus, anxiety over academic identity has heightened regarding how these developments will impact their academic freedoms, integrity, and role as a teacher. In this introductory chapter, the progress of digital transformation in HE will be outlined with an explanation of how AI has proliferated and increased its influence over this change. The chapter will also identify the identity crisis for academics during this period, the shifting of academic roles in a digital era, with the concerns of adapt or die, before outlining the purpose and framing the scope of the book.