To: All Faculty
Cc: University Cabinet; Office of the President; Office of the Provost; Office of Public Affairs and Communications; Deans’ Offices
[Summary: The Report of the Yale Task Force on Artificial Intelligence identifies synergies across school and unit AI strategies and recommends areas for coordinated action and university-wide investment.]
Dear Faculty Colleagues,
Though artificial intelligence (AI) has existed for years, it is now widely accessible, provoking questions about how to create, enhance, and guide innovation that is shaping society and impacting human intelligence. As a university committed to “improv[ing] the world today and for future generations,” Yale has a responsibility to embrace this technological advancement and provide expertise that will influence the future of AI.
In January, I wrote to you about the formation of faculty panels to explore the possibilities of AI and ways that Yale can continue to lead in developing, utilizing, and studying the technology and its implications. Led by the university deans, these panels were established to consider school- and division-based strategies for leveraging AI and advancing important conversations about its impact.
This spring, the faculty panels, in addition to panels of university leaders in education, collections, clinical practice, and operations, engaged with the Yale Task Force on Artificial Intelligence (YTAI). Following discussions with each panel, the Task Force identified common themes as well as areas for coordinated action and university-wide investment—in infrastructure, education, training, policy, and collaborative opportunities. I am pleased to share that these findings are now documented in the Report of the Yale Task Force on Artificial Intelligence.
Over the summer, deans and other university leaders will work with colleagues across campus to begin implementing the Task Force recommendations, including investments that will honor individual school efforts while improving the structures necessary to support AI use and research across the university. Early in the fall semester, we will share an update on progress to date. In the meantime, I encourage you to read the Task Force report and share feedback with the relevant dean(s).
I am grateful to the deans and panelists for sharing insights with the Task Force. Each panel demonstrated impressive expertise and thought leadership—whether exploring AI in theater and nursing simulation labs or understanding AI’s anthropological significance. I also appreciate the many hours that Task Force members dedicated to engaging with experts within the community and identifying connections, strengths, and opportunities for the future of AI at the university and beyond.
As an institution with deep and broad expertise as well as a rich history of interdisciplinary collaboration, Yale is uniquely positioned to shape AI and its relationship to the human experience. I underscore the Task Force members’ call: “Rather than waiting to see how AI will develop, we encourage our colleagues … to proactively lead the development of AI by utilizing, critiquing, and examining the technology.” Let us all contribute to this transformative technological advancement.
Sincerely,
Scott Strobel
Provost
Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry