AI at Wake Forest: What the AI Task Force is doing and how you can help shape what’s next

The following Q&A is shared on behalf of the AI Task Force.

As artificial intelligence reshapes teaching, learning, research and work, faculty and staff have raised important questions about how Wake Forest is responding and what the University is doing to prepare for the future.

Wake Forest’s AI Task Force, chaired by William Fleeson, associate provost for AI initiatives and Hultquist Family Professor of Psychology, is working to develop an academic strategy for AI while supporting initiatives already putting ideas into practice.

The Task Force members addressed some of the most common questions about their work, what’s already happening across campus and how faculty and staff can help shape what comes next.

What is the AI Task Force, and what is it working on?

AI is moving faster than any one school or office can keep up with alone. The Task Force brings together colleagues from across the University, including academic affairs, research, the library, information technology, and personal and career development, so we can consider AI from a variety of perspectives.

Members include Andy Chan, Anne Hardcastle, Kim McAllister, Mur Muchane and Lauren Pressley, with William Fleeson serving as chair.

Our main responsibility this year is to develop an overall academic strategy for AI at Wake Forest. We’re also supporting three pilot programs that are testing new approaches to using AI in teaching, learning and research. Together, this work is part of an initiative called AI for Human Flourishing.

What’s already happening this year?

We’re approaching this work on two fronts: developing a longer-term academic strategy while putting ideas into practice now.

Three faculty-led pilot programs are underway:

• AI Teaching Studio, directed by William Fleeson, is working across 12 priority areas spanning faculty development, course design, departmental engagement and institutional planning to help Wake Forest integrate AI into teaching and learning in ways that strengthen, rather than shortcut, student learning.
• AI Compass, led by Ana Iltis, has funded 17 research and scholarship projects exploring how AI affects human identity, health and societal well-being.
• AI Impact Clinic, a new computer science and business course designed by Shannon McKeen, Paul Pauca and Errin Fulp, has 57students learning to use AI tools effectively, responsibly, and with purpose this fall. Selected students will work with faculty in the spring to develop AI solutions for internal and external clients.

These pilots are an important part of our approach. They allow us to explore what’s possible, learn what works in our University community and use those experiences to inform our broader strategy.

What does an “academic strategy” mean?

An academic strategy is our shared roadmap for integrating AI across teaching, learning, and research while staying true to our core values. It helps us direct resources, support faculty and students effectively, and ensure that technology advances our educational mission.

Our starting point is Pro Humanitate. Every university has to help people develop AI skills and use AI responsibly, and we’ll do that too. But we also want to ask what a given use of AI builds, or wears down, in the person using it.

That means taking seriously both the opportunities AI creates and the questions it raises about academic integrity, the quality of student learning, research ethics and the responsible use of emerging technologies.

Ultimately, we want a strategy that helps us make thoughtful decisions, identify priorities and use AI in ways that advance our academic mission and contribute to human flourishing.

Is the Task Force writing a University-wide policy on AI in the classroom?

No. We are not drafting or implementing University-wide rules about how AI should or shouldn’t be used in individual classrooms. Given the differences in academic disciplines, faculty are best positioned to make those decisions.

The existing  Guidelines for Academic Use and Guidelines for Administrative Use remain in effect. Schools and departments have also been asked to discuss AI this year and develop their own frameworks and approaches.

Our role is to support those conversations and help surface common needs, drawing on the judgment and expertise of faculty who know this work best.

What about AI use in University operations and administrative work?

AI is transforming how we work across Wake Forest, creating opportunities to improve administrative processes, enhance services, and fundamentally rethink how we advance the University’s mission.

The University’s approach is flexible and multifaceted. Through the Administrative AI Working Group, led by Information Systems, Wake Forest is fostering an environment where faculty and staff can learn, explore, experiment, engage in thoughtful debate, and raise concerns while discovering the potential of AI. The goal is to empower academic and administrative departments to identify and pursue opportunities that align with their unique needs and priorities, supported by a framework of University-wide governance, guidelines, and resources.

These efforts complement the Task Force’s academic AI strategy and reflect a shared commitment to the thoughtful and responsible use of AI in advancing Wake Forest’s mission. The University’s Guidelines for Administrative Use, along with information about available AI tools and resources, can be found at ai.wfu.edu.

Is the strategy finished?

The strategy development work is just getting started. This year’s main work is to develop it.. But we’re not waiting for a completed strategy to begin taking action. The three AI for Human Flourishing pilot programs are already underway, and what we learn from them will help inform our longer-term priorities.

We’ll begin sharing early ideas with faculty and staff at upcoming town halls and let what we hear shape the strategy as it develops over the year.

How can faculty and staff weigh in?

The most direct way is to participate in one of three town halls we’re co-hosting with the Faculty Senate:

• Monday, Nov. 2, 4–5 p.m., Tribble Hall A110 (DeTamble Auditorium)
• Monday, Nov. 16, 10:30–11:30 a.m., Benson 409
• Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2–3 p.m., Carswell 111/Annenberg Forum

These conversations are opportunities to learn about emerging ideas, ask questions, share concerns and help identify what support the campus community needs.

Faculty and staff can also participate in AI conversations within their schools or departments, respond to the campus AI survey, or share feedback directly with Task Force chair Will Fleeson at .

What is the campus AI survey?

We recently launched the second year of the campus AI survey. The survey asks about AI attitudes, teaching practices, workplace applications, research practices, learning experiences and usage patterns across campus. If you haven’t already completed it, look for a survey link from “Provost Office (AI Initiative)” in your email. Please respond by November 2. A response enters you in the gift card drawing for $100 or $50 at the Deacon Shop. 

Conducting the survey for a second year will help us understand not only how AI is being used, but how perspectives and practices are changing over time.

The results will help inform the academic strategy and identify where additional guidance, resources and support may be needed. Every response helps us develop a fuller picture of the University’s experiences and needs.

Where can people find information and resources now?

We’re redesigning ai.wfu.edu to serve as a central resource for AI at Wake Forest, bringing together guidelines, licensed tools, learning opportunities, events, the AI for Human Flourishing pilot programs and updates on the developing strategy.

In the meantime, faculty and staff can visit the existing site for AI guidelines, available tools and upcoming events.

Our goal is to make it easier for members of the University community to find the information and resources they need to understand the university’s strategy, guidelines, and resources regarding AI.

What do you most want faculty and staff to know?

We invite everyone to help shape this work.

However you’re feeling about AI right now—whether energized, hesitant, or simply fatigued by the constant discussion—please know that your perspective matters deeply to this process. Some faculty and staff are excited about AI. Others are skeptical, and many are somewhere in between or simply tired of hearing about it. All of those perspectives are important.

As artificial intelligence touches teaching, research, student learning, and daily operations, we must address its rapid rise with intention. We want to be thoughtful about where it adds value, where it raises concerns and how it can serve our students, our scholarship and our community.

Your experiences, questions, and ideas are essential to the strategy development process and its ongoing evolution.

So, please come to a town hall, contribute to conversations that help shape your department’s approach to AI, complete the survey or share your perspective with the Task Force.

We look forward to building this strategy together with you.