Molly Manning, News Editor
Heciel Nieves Bonilla, Assistant News Editor
VCU’s common book for the 2025-2026 academic year is “The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century’s Greatest Dilemma” by Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI.
The book details the potential for artificial intelligence to advance society while also examining the risks posed by the technology. Suleyman explores the introduction of AI softwares like ChatGPT, the use of AI in current-world conflicts, regulation and ethical dilemmas.
The common book is selected annually and intended to create an opportunity for the VCU community to read a common text and participate in collaborative discussions. “The Coming Wave” was chosen because of its alignment with VCU’s common book goals, according to Andrew Arroyo, senior vice provost for academic affairs.
“VCU’s goal is to create opportunities for dialogue throughout the 2025-2026 academic year,” Arroyo stated. “No matter one’s stance on artificial intelligence, ‘The Coming Wave’ provides a starting point for a discussion across the disciplines.”
VCU does not have a strict policy for using AI in the classroom, but a set of loose guidelines for students and faculty to follow, per the provost’s website. “AI is not a substitute for critical thinking,” the guidelines read.
Some faculty allow students to use tools like ChatGPT for research and writing essays. Professors teaching focused inquiry — a required set of courses that study the common book — have already started integrating the technology into their lessons. One professor has required students to use ChatGPT for their weekly reading responses.
The university will host events throughout the year to address challenges of AI, such as its role in classrooms and environmental impacts, through head-on discussion, according to Arroyo.
VCU has added various courses, certifications and a minor in artificial intelligence within the College of Engineering. While only 14 universities nationwide offer a major in AI, others are introducing minors and other certifications, according to Business Insider.
Five schools in Virginia currently offer master’s concentrations in AI per Master’s In AI. VCU and other Virginia schools offer labs and minors instead.
President Michael Rao previously emphasized VCU’s work with AI in this year’s State of the University speech. Rao invited Elaine Reeder, assistant director of curriculum development for VCU Online, and philosophy professor Frank Fairies to discuss the importance of integrating AI into university curriculum while prioritizing ethical use.
During the panel, Fairies said he believes there is a need to future-proof students.
“We can’t predict the ways in which AI technology will change. All we can do is cultivate a philosophical foundation in our students that will prepare them regardless of what the future looks like,” Fairies said.
VCU’s AI Futures Lab offers courses such as “Digital Rhetoric” and “Critical AI Studies” and will be introducing a “vertically integrated project” on critical AI this semester, which will focus on how AI systems reproduce social inequities, according to Caddie Alford, co-director of the lab.
Outside of higher education, groups like AI Ready RVA, a regional nonprofit organization focusing on AI literacy, are working to teach communities about AI and its uses.
AI Ready RVA co-founder and board chair Will Willis works with several demographic-specific cohorts to foster conversations about the use of AI in different industries and communities. The organization is working to pose solutions to real-world problems in Richmond and create a physical space to learn AI literacy and ethical use of AI.
“For us, it’s really being to the point where we are proficient enough in the use of AI that we know good, bad and ugly between it,” Willis said. “Being able to use these tools and being able to keep the human in the loop to the point where we’re using these tools responsibly and also effectively.”
As AI use increases, so does energy demand. Energy bills are higher for residents nationwide, according to the New York Times. This demand is expected to grow by nearly 16% in the next five years, undercutting climate efforts as fossil fuels continue to dominate the energy market, according to NPR.
Virginia has over 600 data centers, according to Data Center Map, making it the data center capital of the world. They contribute 25% of data center capacity for North, South and Central America and 13% globally, according to a General Assembly study.
Companies are working to remedy the energy demand and subsequent effects by building data centers that function with lower energy consumption, according to Willis. One example is the CleanArc data center in Caroline County.
Despite drawbacks, Willis believes it is important to teach AI in schools to prepare students for the work force and ensure ethical use of the tools.
“I would definitely encourage universities, and even high schools, to have an AI curriculum, including AI ethics and responsible use of AI,” Willis said. “I think that is the piece, that we’re not only teaching people how to use AI but how to use it correctly.”