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Welcome to the latest edition of ‘T3’ – AI Tech, Tools, and Trends in Higher Education.

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This Edition

• Latest Blog Posts – Catch up on recent blog posts.

• AI News Updates – What happened last week in the world of AI and higher education? A curated selection of news articles.

Latest from the blog

• 🔗 Supercharging Peer Review: Can AI Replace Human Expertise in Evaluating Academic Journal Articles? 

  In this blog post, I explore how custom GPT models could be used to automate and enhance the academic journal article review process. Includes a link to my free (for ChatGPT Plus users) tool for conducting a ‘first pass’ review of academic journal articles.

• 🔗 Surviving AI in Academia When 'Things Get Weird': Lessons from Emad Mostaque 

  Inspired by insights shared by Emad Mostaque, a prominent figure in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), in his recent video interview “The 3 Year AI Reset: How to Get Ahead While Others Lose Their Jobs (Prepare Now)”

Weekly AI News Updates

A curated selection of AI and higher education articles from around the globe.

Students and Faculty Show Caution While Embracing AI as a Supplementary Learning Tool

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The University of Notre Dame is cautiously embracing artificial intelligence (AI) as a complementary learning tool for students and faculty. It offers a new course called "Generative AI in the Wild," where students explore the potential promise and risks of AI.

The students examine AI-generated material and discuss the economic, social, educational, legal, and ethical implications of the technology. AI can quickly produce text, photos, videos, and other creative works that resemble human-made content, leading to concerns about "deep fakes" and the potential impact on society.

Notre Dame recognises the potential of AI in areas such as medical screenings, treatment, and climate prediction but also acknowledges the fear of job losses, fake videos, AI-driven drone warfare, and the risk of AI exceeding its creator's control. Professors have the freedom to experiment with AI in their courses and determine whether students can use AI for their assignments.

The university has a policy that encourages responsible use of AI and emphasises the importance of human involvement and critical thinking skills. The use of AI in violation of a professor's course policy constitutes an honour code violation and students who cross this line face penalties.

Notre Dame aims to equip its students with AI literacy skills, as employers increasingly value this knowledge.

The Future of Science? AI Could Revolutionize Research Labs, Say University Researchers

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Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to enable autonomous research labs, according to university researchers. The use of AI in labs could exponentially speed up the process of performing experiments and discovering new substances, such as better batteries and powerful drugs.

AI can enable autonomous labs to perform experiments thousands to millions of times faster than humans, and they can continuously measure properties, assess results, and adjust future experiments accordingly. Self-driving labs consist of robotic arms, testing equipment, and AI overseers, and they have already been used to make predictions about new crystal structures.

The predictions were shared with a team developing a self-driving lab at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, which successfully created 41 of the predicted crystals. However, some scientists have expressed doubts about the accuracy of the predictions.

Other self-driving labs have been used to discover energy-absorbing structures and find oxygen-producing catalysts. While these advancements are impressive, some argue that AI will not solve all of our problems and there are still many questions surrounding the use of autonomous labs, such as how humans interpret the results and the limitations of AI exploration capabilities.

Congress Considers Funding Nationwide AI Literacy Efforts for Schools, Higher Education, and Libraries

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The Artificial Intelligence Literacy Act, a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Rep. Larry Bucshon and Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, has been introduced to Congress to consider funding nationwide efforts to promote AI literacy in public schools, higher education institutions, and community libraries. The bill seeks to amend the Digital Equity Act of 2021, which allocated funds for broadband connectivity and digital devices, to include AI literacy.

The legislation highlights the importance of AI literacy for national competitiveness, workforce preparedness, and the well-being and digital safety of Americans. It proposes that funding for educational institutions and libraries under this act be provided through a competitive grant process.

The bill also emphasises the need to bridge gaps in AI-related education among different demographic groups, citing the underrepresentation of Black students and women in AI programs. According to the bill's sponsors, AI literacy can help both mitigate the risks and seize the opportunities presented by AI technology.

The legislation has garnered support from various organisations involved in education, technology, and workforce training. The bill is currently awaiting consideration by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Touro University Welcomes New Associate Provost to Lead AI Integration Across 18 Campuses

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Touro University has appointed Dr. Shlomo Engelson Argamon as the nation's first Associate Provost for Artificial Intelligence (AI).

In this newly-created role, Dr. Argamon will work to integrate AI into more than 30 undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across Touro's 18 campuses.

His responsibilities will include developing courses and course materials that teach AI techniques and concepts, creating undergraduate courses and concentrations, and designing certificate and graduate degree programs in AI. Dr.

Argamon will also use AI to improve the university's administrative functions, such as student recruitment, budgeting, and curricular planning. Touro University aims to be a national leader in the use of AI to educate and support students, and believes that Dr.

Argamon's expertise and experience will help them achieve this goal. Dr.

Argamon brings three decades of research into AI and related fields, as well as a history of academic entrepreneurship, to the position. He holds a faculty appointment as professor of computer science and has previously taught at institutions including the Illinois Institute of Technology and the Jerusalem College of Technology.

AI in higher education: Will we miss the train again?

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The potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on higher education is discussed in this article. The author highlights the missed opportunity for digital transformation in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic and warns that the sector may miss the opportunity to embrace AI as well.

The author notes the rapid expansion of ChatGPT, an AI-based tool, and its potential to transform higher education globally. The author argues that higher education institutions must embrace AI to stay relevant and enhance the education ecosystem.

They suggest that AI can increase access to education, personalise learning experiences, and improve engagement through game-based learning. However, the author also acknowledges the challenges and limitations of AI, such as potential biases and privacy concerns.

They stress the importance of critical thinking and problem-solving skills alongside AI adoption. The article concludes by urging higher education leaders in Bangladesh to start conversations about AI and its impact to prepare for the inevitable shift in the landscape of higher education.

That’s a Wrap!

Thanks for your support. I appreciate you reading this newsletter and sharing it with your friends to help awareness of AI in higher education grow!

Take care and chat soon,

Bron 

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