A Matter of Words

Over the course of the past two years, university committees focused on the impact of artificial intelligence have assembled across the country. By now, nearly every research university has compiled some form of group-based academic “response” to the virtual time bomb posing an existential threat to higher education. The purposes of these committees are many, varied and often unclear. The University of California system’s massive and multifurcated AI initiative declares their goal to be “reimagining and improving higher education for the 21st century through the deployment of responsible AI.” The AI Task Force at Yale explains that “rather than waiting to see how AI will develop, we encourage our colleagues … to proactively lead the development of AI by utilizing, critiquing, and examining the technology.”