AI in the University: challenges, opportunities and proposals

This parallel session comprises two parts:
1) AI&Teaching: the first part is a workshop on how AI can shape learning and teaching in the University, in order to build a network of people (both students and professors) interested in the topic to share information;
2) Ethos+Tekhne: the second part presents the “Ethos+Tekhne” EELISA school for young AI researchers and welcomes feedback and collaborations for its second edition.

We have been hearing for several months that AI is going to end jobs and education as we know it: listening to how we are warned about the use of ChatGPT by students to cheat on assignments, hearing anecdotes of people who use it for their work but don't talk about it because it seems that it is lazy to use it, or it is simply frowned upon. AI is a tool that will bring about many changes, not all of them good, but not all of them bad either. Just as it seems absurd now that someone would have tried to stop the internet and not take advantage of the good things it brought, it is equally important that we try to take advantage of the good things about AI, and for that we need to know about it. In this workshop, we will briefly introduce what generative AIs are: nothing technical, just what they can do and what they can't do, as well as phrases that are often heard about AI (mainly their limitations, challenges and possible problems they can cause) to see if they are clearer by the end of the session. Different use cases will be presented, and a brainstorming will take place so people can solve their doubts and share experiences on AI for teaching.

The objectives this part of the session are:

• To identify the main challenges that the Artificial Intelligence has already brought to the University (e.g., students using ChatGPT for writing their essays).
• To detect opportunities new techologies will offer to us (e.g. more customized learning for students).
• To share proposals or ideas that different colleages might have implemented (or intend to do) in their Universities in order to overcome challenges and seize opportunities.

The expected outcomes will be:

• To learn the problems that have appeared in different universities, so we can better recognize them when they appear in our own.
• To learn opportunities we might not have thought about.
• To discuss and improve proposals in order to overcome challenges and seize opportunities, making the most of Artificial Intelligence.

What is Ethos+Tekhne?

“Ethos+Tekhne” is an EELISA spring school that took place in Pisa 6th-10th of March 2023, as inter-institutional collaboration between Paris Sciences et Lettres, Scuola Normale Superiore and Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna.
This school aimed to be an opportunity for early-career researchers in AI to discuss the impact of their job on society and individuals. What kind of AI do we want and how do we achieve it?
This was the core question of the school, combining both ethical and technical aspects of AI development. To answer it, the programme was designed to focus on key notions of the Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI, drafted by the AI High-Level Expert Group appointed by the European Commission.

How did the event come together?

This initiative was proposed and led bottom-up by an organising team of PhD students, a post-doc, a young journalist and a young professional from the private sector, supported by a Scientific Committee and the administration and support staff across the three organising institutions.
The pillar of the school has been pluralism: pluralism across the organising members, the points of view of the speakers and learning activities. For instance, speakers spanned from AI researchers and big-tech software developers to philosophers, lawyers, economists, policy advisors, journalists and Members of the European Parliament. Learning activities included lectures, workshops, coding tutorials, group writing, moot court competition to think as lawyers, as well as a movie night on AI for an open discussion with citizens at the local cinema in Pisa.

Where from now?

Of note, two pivotal achievements: firstly, the European Court of Auditors audited the school online as part of their evaluation of the effectiveness of the EU Commission's investments in AI research; secondly, participants already formed a new organising team for the second edition. “Ethos+Tekhne” therefore aims to continue and expand its horizons, proposing, as a long-term goal, a European network on AI research training as a reference point for the EU Commission.

Members of the new and former organising teams will present design and results from the first edition, the current ideas for the second edition and the long-term goals. They will welcome comments to improve the event, as well as collaborations to join forces and keep pursuing inclusivity.

The objectives this part of the session are:

• Present the novel pluralistic and multidisciplinary format devised for the EELISA spring school "Ethos+Tekhne".
• Pursue inclusivity and pluralism by welcoming new ideas and new collaborations within the EELISA network to enrich the second edition of the school.

The expected outcomes will be:

• Increased awareness about the potential of EELISA activities.
• Increased awareness about designing inclusive, pluralistic learning activities.
• Feedback on Ethos-Tekhne format and future directions.
• Stronger international collaborations on AI & ethics within EELISA, especially involving the ESCE community

The expected participants are outlined below:

• Natural language processing techniques for legal documents
• Researchers in Artificial Intelligence sharing software/ideas on the use for educational purposes.
• Lecturers/Professors/Students/Anyone with teaching/learning experience willing to share their experience and challenges/opportunities detected.
• People from every area of expertise brings added value: from AI, STEM subjects, neuroscience, cognitive sciences and psychology, to law, philosophy, sociology, economics, business management, industry, politics, policy design, journalism, ecology, agricultural studies, arts, history, etc..

FIRST PART OF THE SESSION - AI and Teaching

• Short introduction presenting the session and AI (10 minutes, María Navas-Loro)
  We will briefly introduce what generative AIs are: nothing technical, just what they can do and what they can't do, as well as phrases that are often heard about AI (mainly their limitations, challenges and possible problems they can cause) to see if they are clearer by the end of the session.
• Presentation of testimonials (20 min)
  Experiences of teachers or students using AI tools to learn or teach in the teaching environment: how to save time in tedious tasks, how to make learning more accessible to students, how to prevent the student from just copying what ChatGPT tells them...
  • How AI is improving our life quality and work efficiency? (Dumitru Denis, student from UPB)

    The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a significant driver in enhancing the overall standard of living and efficiency within professional environments. AI-driven automation plays a crucial role in enhancing efficiency and productivity in our everyday lives, enabling individuals to allocate their time and efforts towards more valuable and significant tasks. The utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) to enable personalization has proven to boost experiences in various areas, ranging from e-commerce to healthcare. The rapid data processing capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) enable and enhance data-driven decision-making, rendering it an indispensable tool in several domains such as finance, marketing, and beyond. Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a significant role in the healthcare industry by improving the accuracy of diagnostics and facilitating the development of treatment plans. Additionally, virtual assistants are employed to expedite various routine chores inside healthcare settings. Artificial intelligence (AI) also plays a significant role in enhancing safety within occupational environments by effectively optimizing maintenance processes and spotting potential dangers. Furthermore, artificial intelligence (AI) plays a crucial role in promoting sustainability by effectively optimizing energy use. Additionally, AI also contributes to fostering inclusion by providing accessible tools that enhance equal access and participation for all individuals. Artificial intelligence (AI) plays a pivotal role in bolstering security measures and improving lending methods within the financial services industry. Although artificial intelligence (AI) offers considerable advantages, it is crucial to prioritize appropriate development and deployment in order to ensure its ongoing good influence.

  • Experience with Bard (Jesús Salgado, PhD candidate and assistant professor from UPM)

    A case where Bard was used for research will be presented.

  • Other testimonials (María Navas-Loro, in behalf of anonymous respondants of the survey)

    Brief presentation of the testimonials reported in the anonymous form distributed among UPM and EELISA.

• Brainstorming + recap (25 minutes, María Navas-Loro)
  Together with the presenters of the previous session and the attendees, we will try to extract lessons learned from the use cases of the first part of the session: we will discuss possible initiatives to take advantage of these tools, and we will solve any doubts raised about them. The aim is for attendees to see AI as tools to be used, and to consider how students can use them, for better and for worse. We will end the session with a recap of the lessons learned and a list of possible actions to make the most of AI (how to design activities with students to make the most of it, for example, or how to use it to save time in the most repetitive teaching/learning tasks). Topics to discuss (time for each topic may vary, around 10min each). Comments are questions can be done raising the hand or anonymously using tools such as Mentimeter:
  • Solving doubts about AI tools: people can freely ask/answer questions.
  • Discussing main fears of professors and how to tackle them: we will collect main fears.
  • How students are using these tools and if they help them or not in their learning.
  • How to use the tools to save time regarding repetitive tasks. The whole experience will be collected in order to create a list of possible actions and recommendations to make the most of AI could be spread and used across the EELISA alliance.
  • Establishment of collaboration network within EELISA to collect examples and update this list. A new community can be created to this aim, as well as new events (e.g. workshops/schools to involve more members).

SECOND PART OF THE SESSION - Ethos+Tekhne: a new generation of AI researchers

• Presentation of the Ethos+Tekhne school (I edition) (15 min)
  • Design (5 min)
  • Results (5 min)
  • Q&A (5 min)
• Presentation and roundtable discussion on topics and learning methods for II edition (5 min)
• Roundtable discussion on collaborations for II edition (5 min)
• Brainstorming on European network to train AI researchers (5 min).

Workshop and brainstorming:

• María Navas-Loro, PhD (Ontology Engineering Group, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid)

Presentation of an use case: Ethos+Tekhne: designing learning opportunities in AI:

• Stefano Vrizzi (Paris Sciences et Lettres)
• Stefano Tramacere (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Università di Pisa)
• Konstantinos Parginos (Paris Sciences et Lettres)
• Giovanna Failla (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore)
• Guido Cassinadri (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna)
• Othmane Hayoun Mya (Barcelona Supercomputing Center)

For any question or request, please send an email to mnavas(AT)fi.upm.es