What We Mean by “AI”
Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to tools that can analyze information, make predictions or recommendations, and generate text, images, audio, or code to help people complete tasks. This includes large language models (LLMs) (e.g., chat assistants) and increasingly “agentic” AI, which can chain steps together (like searching, summarizing, and drafting) with a human in the loop.
Why AI Matters in Higher Education
Used responsibly, AI can personalize learning, reduce busywork, and open new avenues for research and creative work. U.S. Department of Education guidance (PDF) frames AI as a way to amplify (not replace) human judgment, with educators and students staying “in control” of decisions. As we continue to explore and integrate AI technologies like Microsoft Copilot into our university life, we are paving the way for a more enriched and comprehensive research, work, and teaching and learning experience.
Benefits for Students
From a student’s standpoint, the introduction of AI in their academic journey offers many advantages.
- Personalized study support. AI tutors and study companions can adapt practice questions, explanations, and examples to your pace and background, helping you review concepts or prepare for exams—when paired with a student’s critical evaluation of all output.
- Accessibility and language support. AI can generate alt‑text, simplify or translate readings, provide captions, and offer voice interfaces—useful for multilingual learners and students with disabilities.
- Career exploration. AI can analyze labor‑market trends, surface role profiles, and help tailor résumés and cover letters; students should still check facts and follow WSU career‑services guidance.
- Lower‑cost academic support. Many AI‑assisted tools (including Microsoft Copilot with your institutional sign‑in) reduce barriers to editing, brainstorming, and planning—when used ethically and within stated course policies.
Important: AI sometimes generates plausible but incorrect or biased information (“hallucinations”). Always verify factual claims and sources.
Benefits for Faculty & Staff
Faculty and staff can also benefit from AI integration into their educational and working spaces. An important consideration will be making sure that humans stay in the loop in the implementation and introduction of AI in all educational settings. The potential benefits for faculty and staff include:
- Less administrative overhead. AI can draft agendas and announcements, triage email, summarize long documents, and help build rubrics or grading comment banks—freeing time for more interpersonal interaction.
- Course and assessment design. AI can propose formative quiz items, variations of problem sets, and discussion prompts aligned to learning outcomes. It should be noted that instructors retain all control over student evaluation and pedagogy.
- Teaching and advising analytics (with care). AI can surface patterns in participation or assignment submissions to support timely interventions—keeping humans in the loop, protecting privacy, and avoiding automated high‑stakes decisions.
- Professional productivity. Carefully deployed, AI tools have shown measurable productivity gains in knowledge‑work tasks (e.g., writing and support interactions), with the largest benefits for less‑experienced users—again with human judgment in the evaluation of all AI products.