Engaging in Tough Conversations: Critical Thinking on AI

In 2023, while serving as the associate director of faculty development at a STEM-focused university, I cofounded and chaired an AI impact group endorsed by executive leadership. No stranger to AI, this institution features a supercomputer and a building named after the senior vice president of software engineering at NVIDIA, a global leader in AI. There, I witnessed faculty from across disciplines come together without hesitation to engage in essential, and at times contentious, dialogue. Through active participation in the group, I learned the necessity of engaging in critical thinking on four vital areas: ethics, DEI, technological determinism, and fragmentary thinking. The purpose of this article is to provide leadership with a framework for fostering robust conversations about AI.