In recent years, the role of artificial intelligence in academia has caused uncertainty and fear for educators and students alike. Many Tulane University professors have updated their syllabi to include a clause prohibiting the use of AI. Educators are concerned that the implementation of AI in the classroom will fuel plagiarism and cheating. Additionally, many students worry that AI will hinder their job preparedness. 

The positive potential of AI 

However, Tulane staff and faculty emphasized the potential of AI to reshape the research and educational landscape in a recent university update. 

Tulane recognized two major facets for AI application: research and education. 

President Joe Biden recently announced a $23 million award to Tulane in support of cancer research. This award represents how AI-driven research will transform the world. 

The award will facilitate the development of the Machine-learning Assisted Gigantic Image Cancer Margin SCANner system, known as MAGIC-SCAN. This revolutionary project will involve the use of AI to detect cancer cells in patients. The system will be trained with clinical scans to accurately detect cancer at a cellular level and return the location of the cancer within minutes.  

The development of the MAGIC-SCAN will allow surgeons to distinguish between cancer cells and healthy tissue when removing a tumor from a patient more efficiently. Currently, it can take days to weeks for a surgeon to know if the entire tumor has been removed. The successful implementation of the MAGIC-SCAN will reduce this time to minutes, thereby revolutionizing cancer surgery.  

This shows that the application of AI in research will eliminate “rote work” and will allow researchers to focus their time and energy on solving novel problems.  

In addition to research, implementing AI in the classroom could offer students an individualized educational experience and support educators.  

Many education specialists, including Khan Academy, Pearson and Chegg, are harnessing AI as a tool to break down complex problems and provide quick feedback for each student’s understanding of the material.  

Further, AI allows educators to quickly grade student work and create course outlines, rubrics and other educational activities. 

Current AI initiatives 

To harness the potential of AI, Tulane faculty outlined the initiatives that will support Tulane’s work with AI.  

The recently established Connolly Alexander Institute for Data Science will enhance data research and literacy at Tulane.  

“AI and data are…totally inseparable. AI without data doesn’t work,” Nicholas Mattei, assistant professor of computer science and co-director of the Tulane Center for Community-Engaged Artificial Intelligence, said. “That’s what the Connolly Alexander Institute of Data Science is…It’s mostly focused on teaching and expanding classes and opportunities for students around AI and things like that.” 

The Center for Community-Engaged Artificial Intelligence was established earlier this year and focuses more on research and community outreach. The center aims to apply AI to solve local problems and support the New Orleans community.  

“We can work with the community on AI projects to solve…local problems and things like that,” Mattei said. “It’s much more focused on outreach to the New Orleans community and providing research opportunities for students and research projects for faculty to go work and really try to bring AI into the wider community.” 

The Jurist Center for Artificial Intelligence was also established earlier this year with the support of the Harold L. and Heather E. Jurist NC ’64 Endowed Fund. The Jurist Center focuses on education and research to help “pave the way toward a healthier, more connected global community.”  

Tulane has also created classes to address the ethical applications and productive uses of AI. 

Julia Lang, a professor of practice and associate director of career education at Tulane, teaches courses on the applications of AI. Lang is teaching two courses this year on generative AI. TIDE1048: AI Unleashed empowers students to harness AI tools to enhance their research, creativity, writing and critical thinking skills. Additionally, DATA2150: Artificial Intelligence Tools will introduce students to the real-world applications of generative AI models. 

“I really see it as my duty to teach students how to ethically and responsibly use these tools that are at their fingertips,” Lang said. 

These courses are integral to helping students adapt to the changing workforce. 

“Employers are wanting an AI-ready workforce. And so, I really see that students are at the forefront of this revolution,” Lang said. “One of my favorite memes on the internet is ‘AI will not replace you, but a person using AI will.’ And just given that idea, I think we have to teach students how to use this technology.” 

First-year Mihika Jain is currently enrolled in one of Lang’s AI courses. Jain said that Lang’s course has helped her understand the importance of learning about the dangers and advantages of AI. 

“I think everyone needs to understand the dangers and the strengths of AI right now,” Jain said. “I was always a ‘no,’ like a complete ‘no’ for AI. But I think through her class, I know it can be used, and it’s a very beneficial tool if used correctly.” 

The future of AI at Tulane 

In the future, AI tools may be implemented at Tulane that cater to each student’s skill level. Students could ask AI to analyze their performance on past assessments and generate new testing material based on their individual academic weaknesses.  

Tulane may also offer more institutional subscriptions for AI tools. For example, Microsoft recently launched the Microsoft 365 Copilot to enhance productivity. Microsoft advertises that Copilot can be embedded into calendars, emails and chats to allow users to “unleash creativity” and “unlock productivity.”  

“My guess is that that’s going to become part of our institutional subscriptions, Microsoft,” Mattei said. “So, every student’s probably going to have access to that relatively soon when they roll those out.” 

Additionally, Tulane may create more comprehensive and clear policies surrounding the use of AI. Currently, Tulane does not have a comprehensive guide for AI use. 

Other universities, most notably Elon University, have established campus-wide guidelines that address the appropriate use of AI in academics. 

“I think we’re going to see some rollout over the next year or two around most classes having some kind of AI policy…because it does vary pretty widely,” Mattei said. “But I think you want it to [vary], like you want different instructors for different classes. The way that I use AI in a [computer science] class might be very different than your history professors.” 

Weaknesses and concerns around AI 

Despite the widespread application of AI to facilitate groundbreaking discoveries, AI should be used with caution.  

The powerful data analysis ability of AI is its strength and weakness. AI models draw conclusions by analyzing and synthesizing unfathomable amounts of data. However, the accuracy of AI is contingent upon the accuracy of the data. If AI analyzes data that includes false information or biases, it will draw conclusions based on that inaccurate information. 

Additionally, AI use has facilitated discussions surrounding privacy concerns about the ownership of AI-generated information. 

“What are the university policies going to be around privacy and data? Because the problem that I try to remind people about whenever I talk about AI, is whatever you type into ChatGPT is owned by ChatGPT,” Mattei said. “So, if you ask it a personal question, or you ask it about bank accounts…that’s now ChatGPT’s property, that’s now Microsoft’s property.”