AI@USD

cool techy designs

Catholic Intellectual Tradition and the Human Experience

NewsAI Tools @ USD

Co-Leads

  • Michael Lovette-Colyer
  • Darby Vickers

Members

  • Susan Babka — THRS
  • Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick — Provost/Kroc
  • Jessica Fernandez De La O — Mulvaney Center
  • Mary Hotz — English
  • Susan Lord — SMSE
  • Susannah Stern — Communication
  • Kevin Tajii — Student Affairs
  • Adriana Vamosiu — KSB

The University of San Diego (USD) stands at the intersection of technological innovation and a long tradition of human-centered education that includes a focus on moral responsibility and ethical conduct. As a contemporary Catholic university and an Ashoka U Changemaker Campus, we are called to promote both continuity and change, to ensure that technological innovation serves the human person and the commongood. We have a critical role to play in examining and reflecting on the changes driven by AI to consider how they promote human dignity as well as the holistic, liberal arts education we offer.

The Working Group on AI at a Contemporary Catholic University is hereby established to develop a comprehensive framework for the ethical, academic, and operational use of Artificial Intelligence. This group will ensure that USD’s adoption of AI remains true to our strategic plan, Lighting the Way to 2030, is deeply rooted in our identity, leveraging technology not merely for efficiency, but for the integral development of our students, faculty, and staff, and the flourishing of society.

Charge

  • Provide recommendations for ways USD’s emerging AI policy can best align with and support the Lighting the Way to 2030 strategic plan.
  • Identify people, processes, centers and institutes for investing in fresh thinking about the Catholic Intellectual Tradition/Catholic Higher Education in an age of AI.
  • Recommend programming for AY26-27 that addresses the opportunities and challenges presented by AI for the CIT and CHE.
  • Suggest aspects of the USD experience that should be preserved from AI-related changes as well as aspects that should embrace AI-related changes.
  • Identify practical ways in which our Catholic identity, heritage and mission can contribute to the development of AI-related policies and programs at USD.
  • Identify opportunities for USD to attract funding related to this area of expertise.

Tasks

  • Baseline environmental scanning: Identify what our peers and aspirational peers are doing in this Area.
  • Consult (in-person, small groups, surveys).
  • Learn about what’s already happening on campus (Committees, Reports, Research Projects).
  • Listen for how people feel in general doing (Surveys, Focus Groups, etc).
  • Recommend (in simple memo) next steps to the Steering Committee.

Cadence

  • Working Group meeting frequency is at Chairs’ discretion, but substantive reports to be
    made at monthly Steering Committee meetings.