More than 300 MSU staff members, including more than 100 who attended the morning plenary session of the AI Summit online, participated in the May 7 event. In-person participants gathered at the STEM Teaching and Learning Facility, bringing together a diverse audience of educators, researchers and executives to explore what AI means for MSU now and into the future.

“We are at a critical moment where the promise of AI is evolving rapidly, offering tremendous potential to enhance teaching, student success, research and operations across the university. However, those opportunities also bring challenges around ethics, equity, policy and implementation,” said Bree Holtz, director of the MSU Ethics Institute. 

“While other institutions nationwide have begun to build and implement GenAI strategies, MSU is starting this conversation in a collaborative and coordinated way. We recognized the need to catch up, but to do so thoughtfully.”

AI refers to computer systems capable of performing tasks that historically have required human intelligence, from learning and reasoning to problem-solving. Generative tools like ChatGPT and other AI tools used in research are just a few examples of how AI is quickly evolving higher education.

The AI Summit — organized by the Ethics Institute, in partnership with the College of Engineering and the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation and with support from several units and departments from across campus — was presented to create a cross-campus conversation about MSU’s approach to AI and to share a proactive and unique AI strategy.

Lauren Klein, Winship Distinguished Research Professor and associate professor in the departments of Quantitative Theory and Methods and English at Emory University, shared a keynote presentation explaining why AI urgently needs the humanities to address ethical, cultural and social challenges it creates.

Klein, who also directs the Emory Digital Humanities Lab and the Atlanta Interdisciplinary AI Network, emphasized that humanistic thinking and ideas can help in identifying and intervening in data biases and guide the development of AI systems that are just, inclusive and community-led.

Rather than viewing AI as inevitable or purely technical, Klein advocated for an approach that includes many voices, puts people first and focuses on freedom for everyone.

“Real people, actual people, many of them only recently graduated from institutions like these, are making choices in the world right now about AI, about its appropriate uses, its future potential and, as more likely the case, its potential harms,” she said. “These choices will have a profound impact on all of us in terms of the world we live in, the opportunities that it will enable or the opportunities it will foreclose.”

Much of the AI Summit focused on three topics for MSU faculty and staff: their responsibility for developing students and the university in the ethical uses and practices of AI, the consequences of AI use, and strategizing how to support staff and students in AI and the ethics involved in using it.

Panels of MSU researchers, professors and other experts explored AI and AI issues in the context of higher education, including a review of how AI can be used as a tool for deeper learning and not simply for finding quick solutions.

When considering AI, Dennis Kennedy, director of the MSU College of Law’s Center for Law, Technology and Innovation, compared AI and AI-related concerns to those that came up when past learning technologies were introduced, from the printing press and calculators to spellcheckers and the internet.

“People were really afraid, but what we found is, when properly used, they allowed students to engage with more complex problem-solving very quickly,” he said. “AI follows the same pattern. I don’t think it replaces learning, but it moves my students to a higher level of discussion much more quickly.”

Through presentations, workshops and breakout sessions, MSU leaders examined how AI is reshaping higher education and the workforce, while considering the opportunities MSU has to equip students and staff for success in the new AI landscape.

AI has the potential to advance research, transform teaching and learning, and enhance university operations and administration.

“Today, all of you have helped advance a thoughtful, strategic and forward-looking vision for AI here at MSU,” said Interim Provost Thomas Jeitschko. “From the outset, this summit was never seen as simply a ‘taking stock’ of where we are now, but as more of a ‘launchpad’ for where we want to go. This approach has served us well today — and it has helped us better see the contours and connections between and across units.”

Hala Sun, associate director of assessment and evaluation for the MSU Evidence Driven Learning Innovation, or EDLI, research center, already manages several AI-related projects, spanning from AI ethics to using AI in qualitative research. She is also the principal investigator on a National Science Foundation–supported project coming up this summer featuring 50 STEM educators from around the world training educators to use AI responsibly and ethically in teaching and assessment.

Given Sun’s involvement in AI to date, she wanted to learn more about the AI Summit and its discussions and workshops. During an afternoon small group session centered on using AI to advance research, Sun led a subgroup discussion on the responsible use of AI and thinking about how educators could ethically and effectively use these tools in the classroom.

“We are in an era where we can’t deny that students are using AI. They are all using AI in some way or another,” Sun said. “We have that responsibility of, number one, guiding students to think about what data and ethical practices they are involved in when they’re using AI each time and, also, if they’re not aware, what are some of the consequences when they are using AI, in terms of data privacy to climate change. We want to give students the agency to use AI but, at the same time, let them know that AI use is complex.”

Attending the event allowed Sun to continue her AI inquiry, which has also included exploring AI tools for teaching and learning, AI and research design, AI for course materials and presentations, and AI in assessment and curriculum design, among others.

Angela Wilson, John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor in the Department of Chemistry and associate dean in the College of Natural Science, has long advocated for data discovery, dating back to her time as director of chemistry at the National Science Foundation.

She was eager to learn about the many ways that AI is being used at MSU but also expressed concern about its underutilization.

“There’s a clear disconnect between the potential of AI and machine learning and how widely or effectively they are currently being used at MSU,” Wilson said. “Many people across campus — including faculty, staff and students — are still figuring out how to apply these approaches in research, teaching, daily operations and student engagement. It is not uncommon for high school students to arrive with more practical experience using generative AI approaches than those of us already in higher education. The challenge is ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to learn about AI and its potential utility in our disciplines and our roles, with access to the tools, training and support needed to use AI, but also to understand its limitations, as it is not always right. We have to make sure there are some checks and balances in place and that training is available on its ethical use.”

Moving on from the summit, MSU leaders want to see the AI discussion continue as the university develops a campuswide approach to using evolving technology. Holtz  said a report on the priorities and next steps for MSU and generative AI is forthcoming.

“The AI Summit was a unique opportunity for campus stakeholders to explore existing and upcoming AI initiatives across MSU, helping us further strengthen alignment around our shared vision of MSU’s role in AI education, research and everyday applications,” said Marcio Oliveira, vice provost for Teaching and Learning Innovation. “It provided a valuable forum for exchanging ideas, building synergies and identifying ways to collaborate across disciplines and programmatic units.”