CMU establishes internal AI Advisory Board

Central Michigan University is taking additional steps to develop a coordinated, institutional approach for establishing guidelines and processes for ethical, responsible use of artificial intelligence technology.

After naming Ben Andera CMU’s first special advisor for AI, President MacKinnon established a new CMU AI Advisory Board to help the university grapple with both concerns and excitement for the use of artificial intelligence in higher education.

“The purpose of the AI Advisory Board is to promote understanding among CMU stakeholders regarding CMU’s AI roadmap and strategic evolution in the spirit of shared governance and transparency,” MacKinnon wrote in appointment letters to the board. 

MacKinnon said the group will be a channel through which students, faculty and staff can learn more about AI, provide input on its usages, raise questions and concerns, and offer priorities for consideration.

“AI is not new at CMU, and numerous members of our university community have been using tools for several years with no central coordination or oversight,” Andera said. “Our goal is to take the recommendations from the Embracing AI Go Grant initiative and ensure that everyone at CMU has opportunities to use AI in ways that advance our mission, support student success, and adhere to ethical, legal, and policy expectations.”

Andera said the board will provide oversight for AI use in areas including teaching, learning, assessment and academic integrity; research, compliance and data stewardship; administrative and operational applications; and more. The Board will provide recommendations to the university’s president and senior leaders for consideration.

Andera is serving as chair of the AI Advisory Board. Other inaugural members of the AIAB are:

• Razi Iqbal, faculty, Department of Computer Science
• Erica Johnson, associate vice president, University Engagement and Student Affairs
• Steve Juris, director, Institutional Assessment and Curriculum, Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support; faculty, Department of Biology
• Gabrielle Likavec, consultant, teaching and learning, Office of Curriculum and Instructional Support
• Jennifer Schisa, interim director of Graduate Studies and Neuroscience; faculty, Department of Biology

The AIAB is scheduled to hold its first meeting June 22.