Sal Orlando, Assistant News Editor
VCU is encouraging students to engage with AI through university courses and a partnership with a local organization to promote “artificial intelligence education, research and innovation.”
The collaboration aims to explore research, talent development and community-based innovation to set Richmond as “a model for inclusive and human-centered AI literacy,” according to VCU News.
“AI literacy is the ability to understand what artificial intelligence is, how it works at a high level, how it is being used in everyday tools and how to use it responsibly, ethically and effectively,” said William Willis, chair of AI Ready RVA.
Willis defines AI literacy as workforce readiness, civic readiness and economic readiness. He believes that AI Ready RVA’s collaboration with VCU will prepare students to take leadership as AI evolves. The organization’s mission is establishing Richmond at the “forefront of the AI revolution,” according to their website.
Following the announcement of the partnership, the Virginia Chamber Foundation released a report projecting that one in three jobs in the country could be affected by AI, with Virginia jobs even more vulnerable.
“AI will change jobs more than it will eliminate them,” Willis said. “Some tasks will be automated, many roles will be augmented, and entirely new jobs will be created.”
VCU offers a minor in artificial intelligence under the engineering program. The technology has also been baked into the computer science, match, statistics and data science programs.
Beyond that, VCU’s goal is to make AI courses and focus areas available for all students, as well as introduce AI in general education courses.
“Although an AI course is not required for graduation, VCU encourages students at all levels to enroll in one if possible,” said David Slipher, director of communications for VCU University College. “VCU faculty are integrating AI throughout their courses to ensure that students have broad exposure and preparation in their disciplines.”
James Fritz, associate professor of philosophy, teaches the “Ethics of Artificial Intelligence” course and believes people need to determine what roles AI plays in both public and private life.
“I want students to think clearly and carefully about what matters most, about what lives are most worth living, and about what sort of society we should aim to build together,” Fritz stated. “Especially because AI’s role in our lives and societies is still developing and shifting, and it stands to have such profound effects on all of us.”
Mike Ableson, professor of focused inquiry, said he uses AI within his classroom to help students exercise critical thinking, information fluency and communicative fluency. He believes that if universities want to promote the study of new knowledge, the study of AI should be promoted as well.
Abelson utilizes AI himself to help him flesh out ideas he has for his classes, but not to complete sophisticated tasks. He compared it to a sounding board, as opposed to a precision tool like Microsoft Excel.
“I think it would be very difficult for somebody who wasn’t an experienced teacher to use AI to be a good teacher,” Abelson said.
Abelson said he understands the moral concerns about AI from many of his students, and noted that they are often brought up by students in art programs.
One argument he hears from students is the concern over AI using artists’ work to generate images. Abelson has students use the Adobe Firefly image generator in class, but does so under the assurance of Adobe’s claim that Firefly only uses images it owns. His students have also expressed the fear that AI will take jobs from artists.
“There’s no doubt about it, they are right about that. I wish that wasn’t the case, but I think a lot of times what we’re dealing with are human choices; AI itself isn’t the problem. If one chooses to use an AI generated image instead of hiring an artist to do something, that’s a choice that’s made because of the economics or because of the efficiency that you’re living under.”
Abelson compared some of the negative externalities of AI, such as high costs and environmental damage, to those of a lab for testing scientific hypotheses.
“The chemistry building has environmental risks, right?” Abelson asked. “Do we try to minimize those risks? Yes we do. Do we try to minimize the cost? Yes we do. Do we try and do that research responsibly and ethically? Yes we do. I try to make my classroom a space for as safe and as ethical experimentation with AI as I can make it.”
Last March, former Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed a bill that would have put regulations on AI developers to ensure transparency and minimize the risks of algorithmic discrimination. Youngkin was concerned the regulations would hinder economic growth.
Democrats have introduced similar bills this year to regulate AI in several ways, such as requiring transparency from developers regarding their models’ characteristics and creating safety guidelines for K-12 students using AI.
With one of their own in the governor’s office, state Democrats are more likely to get this and the rest of their legislative agenda passed this session.
CORRECTION: A pervious version of this story included the wrong professor in the photo caption. The story has been updated with the accurate information.