Toy, tool or team member? genAI in a university context

Another abstract. This one for a conference at the University of Zurich on How will AI impact Doctoral Education?.

Toy, tool or team member? genAI in a university context:

genAI is being rolled out into our lives very quickly by the companies who have invested vast sums in these technologies. Many businesses have bought or developed bespoke systems which generate marginal productivity gains, which are cost-saving at scale. Universities are struggling to catch up, lacking the capital to invest in their own systems, but enticed by productivity gains and under pressure to adapt to a seemingly inevitable future. Universities need to be smarter than the rest of society, to conceive of, and lead society towards, a more positive AI future. This interactive session explores the differences between playing with genAI as a toy, seeking ways to make it a tool, and welcoming it into our multi-skilled, multi-disciplinary Team Science collaborations. We will explore how engaging with genAI through the lens of Team Science will give us a deeper understanding of its strengths and weaknesses but also - and most importantly - the distinctive skills, competences and behaviours that (human) researchers and professionals bring to the academic mission.