In an op-ed published this week in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Alfred University President Mark Zupan discusses how institutions of higher education prepare students for a future in which artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly prominent.
The op-ed, titled “AI, higher education work,” appeared in the Sunday, Feb. 15, issue of the Democrat and Chronicle.
Zupan writes that human beings can play impactful roles “notwithstanding the ever-increasing presence and potency of artificial intelligence (AI).” At higher education institutions, this is accomplished through an emphasis on versatility—encouraging students to pursue a variety of interests; connections and trust—developing relationships with peers and faculty/staff/alumni mentors; applied learning—exposure to experiential, hands-on opportunities; and using sound judgment in the use of AI tools.
“While AI is an acronym used by the broader world to refer to artificial intelligence, we also take it to mean Alfred Intelligence on my campus,” Zupan writes. “The better that campuses such as mine can deepen our students’ versatility, human connectivity/trust, experiential learning, and judgment, the more successful they will be as graduates in today’s AI-impacted world.”