By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
DAVENPORT — The rapid and disruptive rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming society and daily life, says Neil Aschliman, interim associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and biology professor at St. Ambrose University.
This academic year, St. Ambrose is focusing attention on the theme, “Being Human in the Age of AI,” said Aschliman, the theme year’s co-director. The university will explore how the AI revolution shapes society’s understanding of what it means to be human, its potential benefits and threats in a global society and how individuals, businesses, governments and communities use AI to create a more just and sustainable world.
A faculty member suggested this year’s theme. “St. Ambrose folks were keen to participate. You can’t open a newspaper or newsfeed without seeing something about how AI is impacting nearly every aspect of our lives and it’s something that we’re all grappling with as educators,” Aschliman said.
Some people view AI as controversial while others view it as groundbreaking, said Tanya Randle, also a theme year co-director and an associate philosophy professor at the university.
“AI, like all powerful tools, is double-edged,” Aschliman said. “We hope to explore not only its potential benefits to daily life and productivity, but also its serious potential for individual and societal harm.” Randle added, “I also hope to move beyond the discussion of the benefits and drawbacks to thinking more deeply about what it means to be human.” To explore the question of “the value of specifically human thought, work, creativity and insight as we move to a future where we collaborate with the tools provided by technology. What is special, if anything, about being human?”
St. Ambrose University’s use of AI varies across the campus, Aschliman said. “Many faculty are addressing appropriate and inappropriate uses of AI in our courses through specific assignments. The ‘Beat the Bot’ trivia night is being developed to highlight shortcomings of AI models and how generating responses isn’t the same thing as actually identifying knowledge.”
“How we at SAU use AI is an ongoing discussion,” Randle said. “We want to invite all stakeholders, e.g. students, alumni, staff, faculty, community organizations, employers and others to participate in this conversation. We recognize that all stakeholders, as members of our learning community, have to grapple with the complexity of issues raised by AI.”
For more information and to view the schedule (updated throughout the academic year), visit https://tinyurl.com/4bc6ar5f
