Colleges and universities are being urged to adopt human‑centered AI practices even as legal risks and regulatory uncertainty mount. New guidance for deploying AI across the learner experience recommends small, trust‑building pilots and faculty support; legal analyses for campus leaders highlight three pressing compliance areas: data privacy, anti‑discrimination law, and policy governance. Institutions that pilot generative tools for admissions, advising or learning design are advised to build consent mechanisms, vendor contracts that safeguard student records under FERPA and state privacy laws, and governance frameworks that clarify human oversight and accountability. Counsel and compliance officers warn that third‑party AI vendors complicate institutions’ obligations and may expose schools to litigation if personal data are mishandled. Faculty training, clear vendor risk assessments and cross‑functional AI steering committees are recommended to balance pedagogical innovation with legal protections. Institutions should inventory AI pilots, map data flows, and update acceptable-use and academic-integrity policies in the short term. Administrators and trustees must weigh the speed of AI adoption against compliance and reputational risks, ensuring procurement processes and counsel sign‑offs are integrated into any campus AI roadmap.