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Board hears presentation on classroom uses of artificial intelligence and systemwide learning initiatives
Summary
Dr. Kia Hobbs presented on AI use in classrooms, system efforts to expand infrastructure and training, and campus programs that integrate AI for research, instruction and equity; trustees asked about governance and faculty supports.
The Board of Trustees heard a presentation on Jan. 23 about the use of artificial intelligence in classroom innovation across the University of Illinois System.
Dr. Kia Hobbs, associate professor of clinical family medicine and chair of the Academic Affairs and Research Committee of the University Senate Conference, told trustees “The future of AI is now,” and outlined how generative AI and other tools are being used in courses, research and interdisciplinary projects at all three universities. She described campus initiatives such as UIS’s Orion Lab, which provides high‑performance computing resources for AI research, and UIUC’s long list of AI projects and funded research totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
Hobbs emphasized both opportunity and the need for governance. She said campuses have existing peer supports and grassroots communities for faculty adoption, but that system investment to expand infrastructure and training would help more faculty — including mid‑career instructors — use AI responsibly in teaching and to guard against misuse such as academic dishonesty. “AI, like everything else, is a tool. It could be used for something very positive. It could be used for something very negative,” she said in response to trustee questions about safeguards.
Trustees and other board members asked about democratizing access across campuses, whether competitive research grant funding covers infrastructure needs, and what supports mid‑career faculty need to adopt AI tools. Hobbs said some funding is from grants and consortiums and suggested the system consider setting aside central funds to distribute for cross‑campus infrastructure and faculty support.
The presentation highlighted examples: UIC partnerships in quantum and Crocus climate research, UIUC AI projects with approximately $270 million in external funding cited by Hobbs, and UIS’s NEH grant‑funded humanities work integrating generative AI into coursework. Hobbs also recommended investments in augmented and virtual reality and in governance mechanisms to ensure ethical use.
Ending: Board members invited Hobbs to return for a follow‑up; the presentation closed without a board vote but with requests for continued attention to AI infrastructure and governance.
