York Participates in CUNY's Grant-funded 'Building Bridges of Knowledge: Exploring Ethical Uses of A.I.

Faculty Will Use the New Curriculum With Students This Fall and Disseminate Materials Widely Next Spring

^{Dr. Cassandra Silva Sibilin (left) and Dr. Emily Verla Bovino (right) are representing York College on the CUNY Initiative 'Building Bridges of Knowledge'}

York College is amongst the CUNY colleges participating in a $200,000 gift the University has received from the Lumina Foundation. CUNY faculty will develop public teaching materials on the ethical use of artificial intelligence technology.

According to a CUNY release, this past summer, 30 faculty, including two from York College -- Dr. Casandra Silva Sibilin of the Department of History, Philosophy and Anthropology, leading the education team and Dr. Emily Verla Bovino of the Department of Performing and Fine Arts, serving on the humanities team – created hands-on project assignments and materials to develop students’ A.I. literacy and educate them on the challenges and opportunities of the evolving technology.

Faculty will use the materials in their classes this fall and disseminate them widely in spring 2025 as open educational resources (OER), teaching and research materials that are free to the public and created to be shared and adapted by users.

“Artificial intelligence is a rapidly evolving technology that brings exciting possibilities for advancing learning and research but also confronts us with critical questions about academic integrity and equitable access to technology,” said CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez. “With this funding, CUNY can further address the challenges ahead and ensure that our students are prepared for a future that will be increasingly shaped by A.I. in the workplace and beyond. We thank Lumina for its support of this forward-thinking project.”

“The ethical use of emerging technologies like artificial intelligence is a crucial area of focus for the future of higher education,” said Lumina President Jamie Merisotis. “We are proud to support CUNY’s efforts to develop innovative teaching tools that advance A.I. literacy and ensure that today’s students are prepared to navigate the complexities and ethical considerations of this evolving technology. By fostering collaboration and making these resources widely available, CUNY is leading the way to enhance educational equity and empower learners nationwide.”

The initiative, named Building Bridges of Knowledge, is a collaborative effort. It comprises teams of faculty fellows in five academic areas — education, STEM, social sciences, health and humanities – each led by a faculty member with expertise in A.I. This collaborative approach ensures a comprehensive and diverse perspective on the ethical use of A.I. in education.

“Engaging with generative A.I. tools require a good deal of reflection and care,” said Dr. George White, interim dean of the York College School of Arts and Sciences. “For faculty and students alike, this type of engagement means recognizing when and how generative A.I. is used, evaluating the validity of AI-created outputs and identifying the ethical and social implications stemming from the construction and deployment of generative A.I. apps. We are so very proud

that Prof. Silva-Sibilin is leading the Education cohort and that Dr. Bovino is part of the Humanities cohort in this CUNY-wide undertaking. Prof. Silva-Sibilin is very well-equipped to carry the torch, and Dr. Bovina is a rising star among the new faculty at York. I am confident that the College will benefit from their experiences and growing expertise.”

According to CUNY, the teaching materials they have created include projects in which CUNY students learn how to build and use customized chatbots, which are A.I. programs that are designed to have automated conversations with humans. For example, education students at York College will train bots with information customized to the materials and learning needs of students in their classrooms.

In creating and testing the chatbots, the student teachers will learn first-hand how A.I. works. They will be required to think critically about the information they are feeding the bots and what they are training the bots to do. This emphasis on critical thinking in A.I. education ensures that students are not just learning about A.I., but also developing their analytical and problem-solving skills. Ultimately, they will assess the advantages, limitations, biases and ethical concerns of the tools they produce, stimulating their intellectual growth.