Generative AI is entering higher education around the world. But does the same technology lead universities towards a shared future — or can it produce very different educational futures? Its impact depends on more than what AI can do. Educational traditions, cultural values, institutional practices and ideas about the purpose of education all shape how generative AI is adopted and used. The same tool may transform teaching, learning, assessment and academic practice in very different ways across educational systems. In the second episode of Around Education, Na Li, Senior Associate Professor and Acting Head of the Department of Educational Studies at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, and Diana Koroleva, Scientific Director of the Laboratory for Educational Innovation Research at HSE University, discuss these questions through the lens of their new book, GenAIED: Cultural and Pedagogical Catalysts in Higher Education. They explore why generative AI takes different forms in different educational contexts, what this means for teaching and learning, and how universities can approach the governance of technological change. To learn more about the HSE Institute of Education and the podcast, visit our website and follow us on LinkedIn for the latest updates.