Duke steering committee publishes extensive blueprint for university AI growth

A steering committee at Duke University last week published its first report on artificial intelligence. Joseph Salem, co-chair of the steering committee and the Rita DiGiallonardo Holloway University librarian and vice provost for library affairs, said in a press release that the report outlines “a uniquely Duke approach to grappling with the promise and pitfalls of generative AI and its technological, societal and environmental implications.”

The 45-page report recommends that the university establish an Office of AI Strategy and a Guidance Hub for faculty, Duke’s The Chronicle reported. It calls for more credentialing for future AI professions, and that the university hire more faculty to research and teach about AI. The report encourages creation of a Provost’s Executive Committee on AI that would set five-year goals and help the institution “respond faster than traditional academic structures” to AI issues.

“As artificial intelligence is transforming in real-time the way universities are educating our students and conducting research, Duke has an opportunity and responsibility to harness the immense potential of AI in ways that improve the human condition,” Provost Alec D. Gallimore, who launched the initiative, said in the release. “The steering committee’s recommendations provide us with a crucial vision and direction to ensure Duke leads in advancing AI innovation while strengthening the ethical foundations and core values that define our academic mission.”

The report also calls for greater communication and thought leadership around AI and more AI “governance and culture,” establishing “durable and responsible AI governance frameworks to guide the ethical use of AI across research, teaching and university operations,” according to a university website.