Student Leadership Development in a Gen‐AI Higher Education Landscape: Four Imperatives for the Future

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming higher education, yet student leadership programs have failed to engage this transformation. This article examines four imperatives for integrating AI into leadership education: AI as pedagogy, AI literacy as leadership competency, student agency in institutional AI transformation, and AI-enhanced assessment of leadership development. I argue leadership educators have opportunities and responsibilities to lead, not only react to, higher education's AI engagement. A framework spanning educator actions, programmatic redesign, institutional transformation, and field-level initiatives is offered as a response. By embracing these imperatives, leadership development can responsibly integrate AI while preparing students for future AI-driven challenges.