In this week’s edition of ‘Down the AI Rabbit Hole,’ I give some recommendations on AI tools that go beyond text generation. I also fantasize about the next steps we should take to help our faculty with generative AI.
Listen to Down the AI Rabbit Hole
This week’s tip:
So much emphasis has been placed on text-based AI generation; yet there are also a lot of non-text AI products that are very useful. This article, Beyond Text: AI Tools for Making Images, Videos, Audio, and Study Aids, lays out several technologies to consider but missed the announcement last week of OpenAI’s Sora, which creates text from video. Maybe you want AI to help with something very specific, but ChatGPT and Gemini (formerly Bard) are falling short? Take a look at `There’s an AI for that.‘ As it sounds, this searchable database boasts over 10,000 different AI tools that can help with travel, text-to-audio, translations – the list goes on!
Next steps to help Denison faculty with AI:
- If I had a magic wand…
Here’s what I would conjure up: I would initiate a series of workshops aimed at integrating AI into our teaching and research. Moving beyond the initial curiosity of “What is this new tool?” to a practical acceptance of “This technology is here to stay,” I propose organizing sessions across four academic tracks: humanities, arts, social science, and sciences. I envision starting with three sessions per track.
- Building a common foundation
The first session would unite us in exploring AI’s functionality and its ethical implications within the academic environment. This foundational meeting aims to equip everyone with a basic understanding of AI and foster a dialogue on its role in education today.
- Diving deeper into disciplinary applications
Subsequent sessions would be more specialized, focusing on how AI can be specifically applied within our various fields. For instance, Julie Mujic could share insights on using AI in her W101 class or for analyzing handwritten Civil War-era letters for her research. Matt Law and Wade Litt might discuss utilizing AI for lesson plan feedback, while Chris Faur and Jim Dennen could offer a glimpse into their collaborative project that utilized AI for their January production at the Wexner Center for the Arts.
- What’s in it for you?
The first session is designed to help faculty articulate and explore the potential of AI in their courses and research. To be clear, this will continue to evolve as the technology does. In the second session, you would learn from colleagues what they are currently doing and brainstorm ways to use AI in your courses. For the final session, you would share with your divisional colleagues what you are considering trying in your course (make a commitment) and get feedback and suggestions from them (revision). The journey from understanding to application involves learning from peers, brainstorming practical uses, and eventually sharing your own plans for AI integration within your department for feedback and further refinement.
- Looking ahead
Imagine if integrating AI into your courses could be highlighted in the course catalog, signaling to students your engagement with cutting-edge technology and the forward-thinking nature of our faculty. But I’m getting ahead of myself.
- When would we have time for this?
Recognizing the busy academic calendar, why not consider the early part of May for these workshops? Exams are graded, you are not in school, but maybe your kids are. That would give you the whole summer to let these ideas marinate and maybe have a few hallway conversations with colleagues. In other words, it would give you the time and space to be ready to roll something out by the fall. Will it be perfect? No. But you will be well on your way to actively navigating this AI-driven world in which we now find ourselves.
- Closing thoughts
With a metaphorical magic wand, I’d like to transform apprehension into excitement about the possibilities AI brings to our academic community. This initiative is about more than just keeping pace with technology; it’s about enriching our teaching and research with new tools and perspectives.
Off to Diagon Alley; I hope Ollivander’s is still open…