AI Task Force Implementation Report
Implementation Plan for Recommendations Generated by the AI Task Force
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“The use of Generative AI technology (GAI) cannot be ignored. Whatever one’s individual opinion on the potential benefits and risks of GAI, it is being integrated into all the digital platforms our students will confront in their daily lives, both as students, and as citizens of the world. We believe it is vital that we educate students about those benefits and risks and help them learn to navigate and thrive within the complexities of this new and changing information and technology landscape than to ignore the situation.”
Report of the Task Force on Generative AI in Teaching and Learning
Strategic Goals
A lot of activity has been happening around generative AI and AI-enabled pedagogy throughout the past two academic years:
- The College of Arts and Sciences and Engineering are collaborating to create the AI and Society Department and several new programs.
- AI was addressed in Academic Integrity policy and included in Academic Integrity Remediation Course.
- The AI Seed Grants program to fund applications of AI to teaching is in its second round.
- The Explore AI initiative was launched to help faculty explore AI tools and how they might use them in teaching.
- An AI Literacy Course for faculty, staff and students is in development.
Of faculty using AI in their teaching:
- The percentage allowing their students to use AI tools rose from 80% in fall to 89% in spring.
- The percentage who have or are planning to include policies about AI usage in their syllabi rose from 80% in fall to 92% in spring.
Note: We are still collecting responses for the Spring 2025 survey, and the data presented here are preliminary.
- In fall 2023, an AI Task Force, chaired by Dr. E. Bruce Pitman, was convened to develop recommendations for using AI-enabled pedagogy ethically and effectively.
- In fall 2024, a group was formed to develop a plan for implementing the Task Force recommendations.
- With UB's progress to date as a backdrop, the AI Task Force Recommendations Implementation Group developed an implementation plan for the recommendations to build on this progress.
Throughout the implementation steps outlined below, any steps marked with a checkmark are currently in progress.
Committee Charge
- Pedagogical and technical workshops and training sessions.
- Guidance on preferred products.
- Development of GAI testbed for teaching.
- Guidance on issues related to access.
- Rachael Hageman Blair, Chair
- Keith Curtachio
- Kristen Harte
- Mary Henesey
- Terry McCormack
- Mark Parker
- Carol Van Zile-Tamsen
- Academic Affairs
- CATT
- The Graduate School
- Undergraduate Education
- Academic Integrity
- Student Success and Academic Support
- Accessibility Resources
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- UBIT
- University Libraries
- Faculty training on AI tools and usage.
- Initiatives to support faculty exploration of GAI tools.
- Guidance on preferred AI tools.
- Training to support the responsible use of GAI.
Faculty Training on AI Tools and Usage
- Conduct a periodic survey of faculty to assess training needs and tool usage. ✓
- Use survey results to develop training topics and modalities. ✓
- Include training about data security/privacy, accessibility and general AI literacy. ✓
- Develop training materials for AI tools integrated into UB Learns.
Initiatives to Support Faculty Exploration of GAI Tools
- Allocation of funds to develop an AI sandbox for faculty.
- Locate a physical space that includes necessary equipment.
- Incorporate approved AI tools in the sandbox and update, as necessary.
- Provide support for the integration of AI tools into UB Learns. ✓
- Establish a proprietary AI model that ensures data security/privacy, meets accessibility needs, and protects intellectual property rights.
- Secure increased funding for the AI Seed Grants program. ✓
- Provide pre-proposal support for interested faculty. ✓
- Expand the Community of Practice for Seed Grant recipients to include other interested faculty members. ✓
- Develop an annual showcase event to allow recipients to present their projects. ✓
Guidance on Preferred AI Tools
- Identify and promote UB enterprise-wide GAI tools, including those that are available in UB Learns.
- Create and disseminate a list of problematic AI tools.
- Leverage existing software review group and procedures to ensure that AI tools are thoroughly vetted before purchase.
- Educate IT nodes and faculty on the policies and procedures related to purchasing AI tools.
Training to Support the Responsible Use of GAI
- Include information about bias and inequities in all AI training for faculty.
- Develop guides and tip sheets that address the shortcomings of AI.
- Conduct research to better understand the challenges that AI presents for our students and create guidance for faculty on minimizing the impacts of these challenges.
Committee Charge
- Develop university, school/college and department level policies on the safe and ethical use of GAI in teaching and learning.
- Consider curricular development in light of new research capabilities and changing career landscape.
- Assess the efficacy of GAI in teaching and learning for continuous improvement.
- John Panepinto, Chair
- Kelly Ahuna
- Katie Darling
- Danielle Lamarre-Smith
- Joanne McLaughlin
- Cathleen Morreale
- Academic Affairs
- Graduate School Executive Committee
- Academic Integrity
- Undergraduate Education
- Office of the Registrar
- Career Services
- Faculty Affairs
- Faculty Senate
- Research and Economic Development
- SUNY Counsel
- University Libraries
- Unit/Program Leadership
- Academic Deans
- Chairs and Program Directors
- University-wide policy on safe and ethical use of GAI.
- Integration of professional society and discipline-specific guidelines into policy.
- Develop department standards for incorporating AI into the curriculum to address the changing career landscape.
- Assessment of the efficacy of AI-enabled pedagogy.
- Consider mandatory AI literacy and ethics training for faculty and students.
University-Wide Policy on Safe and Ethical Use of GAI
- Update Student Academic Integrity policy.
- Update Improper Distribution of Course Materials policy.
Integration of Professional Society and Discipline-Specific Guidelines into Policy
- Disseminate updated standard citation guidelines for GAI use in publications.
- Incorporate evolving GAI professional and accreditation standards into department/program policy and curriculum. ✓
Develop Department Standards for Incorporating AI into the Curriculum to Address the Changing Career Landscape
- Develop a guide for departments and programs to develop standards specific for their field(s) and career spaces.
- Deploy guide in facilitated sessions with trained individuals in units.
Assessment of the Efficacy of AI-enabled Pedagogy
- Supplement existing course evaluation items with AI-specific items.
- Use annual faculty AI surveys to identify and showcase effective uses of GAI and to identify and address barriers to adoption. ✓
Consider Mandatory AI Literacy and Ethics Training for Faculty and Students
- Incorporate GAI ethics training materials into faculty professional development (e.g., New Faculty Orientation, New Faculty Academy, New TA Orientation.)
- Use annual faculty AI surveys to identify and showcase effective uses of GAI and address barriers to adoption. ✓
- Disseminate updates to Academic Integrity policy to students, faculty and staf
Committee Charge
- Develop guidance for faculty on intellectual property issues.
- Develop guidance for faculty and students on issues related to data security, privacy and compliance (e.g., HIPAA and CMMC.)
- Education faculty on state, national and international regulations regarding GAI.
- John Beatty, Chair
- Kara Kearney-Saylor
- Mark Molnar
- Brendan Neill
- Catherine Ullman
- Academic Affairs
- CATT
- Human Resources
- Organizational Training and Development
- Office of the General Counsel
- Research and Economic Development
- UBIT
- Office of the CIO
- Information Security Officer
- University Libraries
Guidance for Faculty
- Intellectual property issues.
- State, national and international regulations related to AI.
Guidance for Faculty and Students
- Data security and privacy issues.
- HIPAA and Cybersecurity Mature Model Certification Compliance.
Guidance for Faculty
- Intellectual property issues.
- Create and offer a workshop on faculty copyright and GAI tools.
- Create and deploy a faculty guide to copyright in GAI outputs.
- State, national and international regulations related to AI.
- Conduct continuous environmental scan of new and updated GAI regulations.
Guidance for Faculty and Students
- Data security and privacy issues.
- Update Handling Data Safely training to address AI usage with each data classification category.
- Create a workshop to address privacy implications related to uploading student work into GAI tools.
- Set up a website with links to policy, guidance and training materials.
- HIPAA and Cybersecurity Mature Model Certification Compliance.
- Publish guidance on the use of GAI tools and privacy.
Committee Charge
- Increase campus awareness of GAI tools, opportunities and challenges related to teaching and learning.
- Ensure trainings and workshops are publicly available.
- Promote faculty innovation both internally and to external constituents.
- Align communications with university messaging on AI for the public good.
- Dawn Reed, Chair
- Patrick Broadwater
- Gina Cali-Misterkiewicz
- Jeremy Cooper
- Grace Gerass
- Kathleen Hayworth
- Kris Miller
- Marcene Robinson
- Diana Tuorto
- Amber Winters
- Academic Affairs
- Academic Integrity
- CATT
- Executive Sponsors
- Faculty Affairs
- Finance and Administration
- GAI Communications Committee/Lead
- Research and Economic Development
- Student Life
- UBIT
- University Communications
- University Libraries
- Align and maximize university and unit communication strategies.
- Cultivate and AI-enhanced mindset.
- Showcase AI innovation in teaching and learning.
- Empower stakeholders with an AI Resource Hub
Align and Maximize University and Unit Communication Strategies*
- Integrate “GAI in teaching and learning” within UB’s institutional brand messaging centered on AI for the public good.
- Develop an “AI at UB” brand toolkit to ensure message consistency across all AI-related activities and communications.
- Develop communications highlighting recommendations of the AI Task Force and steps to implementation
- Develop tags for AI-related communications and events to ensure AI content is shareable across units.
- Develop boilerplate messaging for externally funded research proposals and projects that address AI in teaching and learning.
*Implementation action steps from Empowering Stakeholders with an AI Resource Hub have been incorporated into this section.
Cultivate an AI-enhanced Mindset Through Strategic Communications*
- Develop a marketing, communications and engagement strategy for educating faculty, staff and students regarding the use of AI in teaching and learning.
- Includes highlights, case studies, ethical use, bias, academic integrity, etc.
- Develop a GAI in teaching and learning website/hub to share resources, best practices, ethical use guidelines and case studies with internal and external constituents.
- Survey faculty, staff and students to gauge interest, comfort and expertise in GAI for teaching and learning; share results internally.
- Develop a faculty and staff ambassador/mentor group.
*Implementation action steps from Empowering Stakeholders with an AI Resource Hub have been incorporated into this section.
Showcase AI Innovation in Teaching and Learning*
- Develop inspirational content featuring faculty and students impactful use of GAI in teaching and learning.
- Develop an inventory of offices hosting AI-related events and workshops and providing resources.
- Feature GAI in teaching and learning innovations and successes in external communications, media relations and advertising campaigns focused on UB’s international leadership in AI.
- Utilize content about UB’s leadership and successes in AI in teaching and learning as a tool to recruit talented faculty, students and staff.
- Utilize unit e-newsletters to share stories with external audiences (elected officials, community partners, alumni, donors, etc.)
- Explore opportunities for industry collaboration and philanthropic support.
*Implementation action steps from Empowering Stakeholders with an AI Resource Hub have been incorporated into this section.