Incoming freshmen and other first-year undergraduate students attending St. Bonaventure University in the fall will engage in an artificial intelligence literacy unit aimed at gaining basic understanding and skills in this ever-evolving and ever-growing technology.
The students will explore both how AI can function as a positive resource in their studies as well as topics such as academic integrity and ethical decision-making.
“By embedding AI literacy into our first-year seminar, we are ensuring that every Bonaventure student begins their academic journey with the knowledge, skills and ethical grounding needed to use these tools thoughtfully and responsibly," Provost and VP for Academic Affairs David Hilmey said in a press release.
This unit is part of a larger initiative at the university to embrace the ubiquity of AI and help students grapple with the multitude of ways it can be utilized.
In addition to the unit, the school plans to provide ChatGPT Edu licenses for all students, faculty and most staff. It also established a commission on AI to guide policy along with curriculum and ethical adoption frameworks. The press release even mentioned an impending new major and two minors focused on AI.
“Our responsibility is to ensure students are equipped to navigate emerging technologies with both competence and conscience,” Hilmey said. “This initiative is about forming graduates who can engage AI with integrity, guided by the human-centered values that define a Bonaventure education.”