Greetings, everyone.
I know many in the university community have been keeping a close eye on the implications of generative AI on higher education, particularly because the new students we will be welcoming to campus this fall will be one of our first classes ever that is intimately familiar with using AI to assist with aspects of their course work. Along with the Provost, I am co-sponsoring a university-wide group that will create a framework for how U-M will be approaching the evaluation, use, and development of emergent artificial intelligence tools and services. The Generative Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee is expected to submit a detailed report by the end of June.
I am proud to say that Michigan IT is embracing this opportunity to be a leader when it comes to how generative AI will be integrated with our daily campus life and beyond. ITS has formed a new AI Services team that is putting together several tangible action steps. One of those steps will be the release of a university-wide AI services tier, which will be available for the fall semester.
Another step will be creating an accompanying set of guidelines and best practices for the use of those AI services. We will be announcing the timeframe for the rollout of these steps over the summer.
We do not have the answer to every question yet, but I am 100% committed to helping set the tone and steer the direction for how our community works with AI going forward. We must approach AI implications thoughtfully while being agile. It is an exciting time, so stay tuned for updates—you will be hearing a lot more about this soon.
I would love to hear from you—how you are using AI in your daily work? What do you think about generative AI and the role Michigan IT should be playing?
Thank you to everyone for your hard work and all you do to support this amazing institution. Please take time to enjoy time with family, and continue to check in on your colleagues and friends. A simple hello can make all the difference.
With gratitude,
Ravi
Ravi Pendse PhD
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
University of Michigan
rpendse@umich.edu
