VC shares insights on UCT’s adoption of AI

The era of artificial intelligence (AI) has taken the world by storm, and reimagining a future where universities shift gear and leverage AI for its constituents’ and societal benefit is an imperative.

The topic took centre stage during a morning session on day one of the Times Higher Education (THE) World Academic Summit (WAS), currently under way at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. The summit, now in its 14th year, is co-hosted by the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the University of Bristol. The session was titled: “Reimagining the future of future universities in the AI era” and was facilitated by Jun Liu, the rector of City University of Macau in China

As an introduction, Liu asked a pertinent question: How can universities leverage AI and technology to enhance the learning experience and prepare students for future job markets?

“It’s one thing when you sign up to be vice-chancellor and the next thing you have to figure out how to create a future world that you have not yet seen. And yet your students are saying that’s the world that they need to be prepared for,” said Professor Mosa Moshabela, the vice-chancellor of UCT.

Training students in AI

He told delegates that to keep up with a modern, tech-driven world, UCT has taken the decision that all students must be trained to use AI, albeit at different levels. He said the university made this decision after several discussions with partner institutions who form part of the International Alliance of Research Universities. During these discussions, Professor Moshabela said, delegates shared lessons on how to manage the use of AI from within the university structure.

“Now, the idea is to allow students to use AI and to focus on supporting them to use it [correctly].”

But prior to this, students were already using it. So, it was important to come up with a framework that included ways on how to use it beneficially. He said initially the institution discouraged its use in academic projects, and UCT utilised AI-detection tools to pick up if students used any of them to complete tasks and assignments. Depending on the result, academics would then penalise their work.

“We decided that we are going to turn off those AI-detection tools. Now, the idea is to allow students to use AI and to focus on supporting them to use it [correctly]. We may not have been prepared for it, but it is here and we have to move quickly to guide them on how to use it,” he said.

Making AI a partner

Moshabela said he understands the risks that come with the continuous use of AI. However, he added, it’s important not to focus on the negative aspects thereof.

In light of this, he said, UCT now considers AI a partner in the teaching and learning project.

“We try to focus on the positives of AI as a synergy and potentially a partner in terms of learning for students. And if we teach them well during their learning experience, it will also help them to use it well in their jobs in the future,” he said.

“These decisions were not easy, especially the one about turning off AI-detection tools. But it was one that we had to make in order to remove our AI boundaries.”

Making AI accessible beyond the university system

Commenting on the importance of making AI tools accessible not just to students in the university system but beyond, Moshabela said it is a fundamental area of interest for UCT’s AI Initiative – a university-based project that enables researchers and students to carry out AI research, which will create tools and opportunities that facilitate a transition to a just society.

He said the university is aware that tools developed by the tech industry are expensive and often unaffordable for the man on the street. This is further compounded by slow-moving economies, which don’t allow young people on the continent to benefit from these tools, especially those that aim to drive entrepreneurship to create opportunities for young people.

“Universities are the leveller that should make sure that the [tech] ecosystems built by universities can be accessed not only by students but also by members of society who need access to these tools,” Moshabela said. “That is a big challenge, and it requires us to think about how to manage that with government. But making tools available for public good is a priority for us.”

Others who contributed to this session in their respective university contexts included Professor Evelyn Welch, the vice-chancellor of the University of Bristol; Dr Jianhua Yan, the vice-chair of the University Council Zhejiang University; and Professor Trevor Young, vice-president and provost at the University of Toronto.