Digital Integration Teaching Initiative

Last Updated: November 20, 2025

As increasingly present digital tools, artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI have a role to play in the Digital Integration Teaching Initiative’s mission to introduce students to digital methods and skills in humanities and social science classrooms. We plan to work with faculty and students to improve AI literacy and help them develop skills to effectively and critically engage with this technology. While there are moral and ethical considerations for using any digital technology, these are particularly acute in the use of AI, given the current lack of established legal and normative guidelines. Political and economic factors are contributing to gaps in knowledge surrounding AI and the associated absence of regulation has exacerbated environmental harms, as well as the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation, identity-based violence, and other harmful content. There is also uncertainty on comprehensive best practices for generative AI in education. Based on our most recent survey results, DITI faculty partners differ on the extent to which they encourage various AI applications. 

The DITI’s approach to introducing digital skills and methods includes working with faculty to customize materials to their classes and goals, as well as discussing the ethical considerations of working with particular tools and methods. The characteristics of AI’s emergence in education and society highlight the importance of this approach. The DITI will continue to work closely with faculty partners on discussing the ethics surrounding the use of various technologies to help ensure that our class collaborations are informed by emerging best practices for specific applications, the needs of our faculty partners, and university policy. Our mission is to introduce students to digital methods and skills with a strong focus on critical applications over purely technical competencies; as such, our work with AI will focus on helping students and faculty build a foundation for their engagement with AI that integrates critical and ethical considerations. 

Our consideration of ethical issues surrounding AI will be largely informed by our Statement of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging. This statement will also inform our internal use of AI as we work to support equitable and inclusive learning and working environments. Research has shown that use of generative AI paired with human expertise can reduce inequities in the workplace, in education, and healthcare, yet also expose human users to misinformation and reinforce biases. With rapid developments in technology and evolving AI regulations, it is likely that AI models will have a dynamic impact on the equitable access and use of digital tools. In the current void of AI regulations and standards, human oversight is especially important to verify the outputs produced by AI models and ensure digital materials are equitable, inclusive, and digitally accessible to all users. As research, policy, and faculty and student needs and preferences regarding AI continue to evolve, the DITI will update our practices and approaches to teaching and learning with AI.