Tag: generative AI

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Is Your Brain Future-Proof? Protecting Human Thought in the Age of AI

A digital illustration set in a dimly lit library. In the center, a glowing human brain is encased within a translucent, high-tech blue shield. Multiple mechanical, robotic hands reach toward the shield from the shadows, their fingertips glowing with red data points. To the left, a small holographic icon displays "AI" with a subtle, stylized face. The background features blurred bookshelves and large windows, blending a classic academic atmosphere with futuristic cybersecurity themes.

We often worry about AI hacking our computers, but what happens when it starts hacking our thinking?

Join us for a deep dive into the front lines of Cognitive Security—the essential practice of keeping human thought and collaboration safe from AI exploitation. As AI models become more sophisticated, recent science suggests a chilling trend: these systems are becoming masters at achieving their goals while hiding their tracks.

Event Details

  • When: Monday, March 2 | 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM

  • Where: James G. Leyburn Library, Leyburn 128 (Collaboration Gallery)

  • Speaker: Josh Fairfield, William Donald Bain Family Professor of Law and Director of Artificial Intelligence Legal Innovation Strategy 

Why This Matters

In this session, Professor Fairfield will pull back the curtain on the “hidden” optimization goals of AI. You’ll learn about:

  • The Science of Deception: How AI achieves its objectives without us realizing it.

  • Cognitive Risks: The specific threats posed to human decision-making and group collaboration.

  • The University’s Role: Why academic spaces are more vital than ever in providing a “safe harbor” for genuine human thinking.

Ready to join the conversation? Secure your spot and register today at: go.wlu.edu/cognitive-security-and-ai

Don’t miss this chance to understand how we can protect the way we think, learn, and work together in an AI-driven world.

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Registration is now open for the 10-Day AI Bootcamp!

A wide horizontal banner image with a dark blue background featuring glowing circuit board patterns and snowflakes. On the left, a glowing laptop displays a brain icon and a toolbox with gears. Large white and blue text across the center reads: "THE PRE-HOLIDAY POWER-UP: UPGRADE YOUR AI TOOLKIT BEFORE WINTER BREAK (IN JUST 10 MINUTES/DAY!)". On the right, a desk calendar marked "DECEMBER" with a "10 MIN/DAY" timer sits next to a mug of cocoa and a decorated miniature Christmas tree.

Ready for round two of AI skill-building? Join the 10-Day AI Bootcamp: Claude Edition with Sybil Prince Nelson running December 8th-21st alongside Winter Academy.

What’s different from Fall? This bootcamp features Claude instead of ChatGPT, so you’ll explore:

  • Web search and real-time research
  • Document creation (artifacts)
  • Conversational depth and reasoning
  • Different strengths and approaches

Perfect for:

  • Repeaters: Compare Claude vs ChatGPT side-by-side
  • Newcomers: No prior AI experience needed!

The format: 10 minutes a day, 10 weekday prompts + 4 optional weekend bonuses. Earn stars, collect a digital badge at 8+.

Tracks for everyone: Faculty and staff versions of each prompt mean relevant, practical applications for your actual work.

Self-enroll here: https://wlu.instructure.com/enroll/E38KEW

Questions? Email sprincenelson@wlu.edu or stop by PLAI Lab office hours.

Let’s explore what makes Claude different—one prompt at a time!

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A Helpful Guide to Writing AI Image Prompts

If you’ve used AI image generators like Gemini, ChatGPT, or Microsoft Copilot, you know that the quality of your result often depends on the quality of your prompt. It can sometimes be tricky to describe exactly what you’re imagining.

To help with this, we’d like to share the Text-to-Image Prompting Quick Guide. It’s a new, simple resource designed to help you build more effective and detailed prompts.

The guide breaks the process down into six key components to consider:

  • Subject
  • Setting
  • Mood & Lighting
  • Style
  • Framing
  • Context

The tool is flexible, whether you have a few minutes or want to learn the fundamentals. You can:

  • 📚 Learn the Framework: Read through each component section to understand the principles.
  • 🛠️ Use the Prompt Builder: Jump straight to the builder to quickly assemble a prompt based on the parts that matter to you.
  • 📊 Track Your Progress: For those interested, there are optional assessments to help you see how your skills improve.

Prompting is an iterative process, and this framework is designed to make that process a little easier. If you’re interested in refining your prompts, you can explore the guide at the link below.

Check out the Text-to-Image Prompting Quick Guide

(This guide also serves as one of my final projects for my graduate portfolio as I complete my master’s in instructional design. A lot of thought went into making it a useful and effective learning resource, and I’m excited to share it.)

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Regurgitative AI: Why ChatGPT Won’t Kill Original Thought

A minimalist illustration of a human and a robot collaboratively assembling a light bulb. The human holds the left half of the bulb, while the robot holds the right half, which is shaped like a gear. The image symbolizes the partnership between human creativity and artificial intelligence, set against a bright orange background.

In her compelling new article, Regurgitative AI: Why ChatGPT Won’t Kill Original Thought, Dr. Sybil Prince Nelson explores the nuanced role of generative AI in higher education—challenging the widespread fear that tools like ChatGPT will replace human creativity. Drawing on her dual expertise as both a mathematician and a novelist, Nelson argues that while AI excels at remixing existing ideas, it cannot originate truly novel thought. That distinction, she contends, is where educators and students continue to shine.

Key Highlights:

  • AI as a remix artist: Nelson compares ChatGPT to a DJ like Girl Talk—brilliant at blending familiar tracks into something fresh, yet incapable of composing an original symphony from silence.
  • Limits of AI creativity: Through examples from fiction writing, statistical coding, and even brainstorming sessions, she demonstrates how AI often narrows rather than expands the range of ideas. 
  • Pedagogical strategies: Nelson provides five actionable methods for faculty, including requiring students to document their AI prompts, reflect on tool influence, and redesign assignments to emphasize personal voice, ethical judgment, and iterative thinking—areas AI cannot replicate.
  • Hope for the college essay: Despite AI’s ability to generate polished prose, Nelson affirms that the authentic process of writing—grappling with ideas, revising drafts, and expressing individual perspective—remains irreplaceable.

This thoughtful, research-informed article is a must-read for anyone rethinking assignment design in the age of AI. 

Read the full article on Faculty Focus!

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Reimagining Law: How AI Empowers Small Firms

"The Next Generation of Law: AI and Small Firm Practice." It features two robotic hands holding a blue circular emblem with "AI" in the center. The flyer promotes a discussion led by Professor Josh Fairfield and Ben Byrd '08L on how AI is reshaping opportunities for solo practitioners and small law firms. The event is scheduled for Thursday, November 6, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM in Classroom B. The flyer notes that pizza will be served.

Can artificial intelligence level the playing field in legal practice? While Big Law continues to dominate, AI is opening new doors for solo practitioners and small firms to thrive. Join Professor Josh Fairfield and Ben Byrd ’08L for a thought-provoking conversation on how AI is reshaping the legal landscape—what it can do, what it can’t, and what it means for your future.

🗓️ Thursday, November 6, 2025
🕐 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
📍 Classroom B
🍕 Pizza will be served!

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Mark Your Calendar for the PLAI Summit in September

Logo for the PLAI Summit featuring a stylized mountain with circuit lines branching across it, topped with a flag. Below the mountain, the text reads "PLAI Summit," with the "AI" incorporated into a smiling robot face.

Friday, September 19, 2025
9:00 am – 4:30 pm

Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning
@ Washington and Lee University

How do we decide when to press the AI button—and when not to?

The PLAI Summit is a full-day event bringing together educators, students, and professionals to explore one of the most urgent questions of our time: how do we use AI to extend human capability—without compromising what makes us human?

Through hands-on demos, thought-provoking discussions, and multidisciplinary exchange, we’ll dive into how AI is reshaping art, society, science, and learning. The goal isn’t just to showcase innovation—it’s to build a shared awareness of when and why we choose to use AI, and when we deliberately choose not to.

Join us in imagining a future where AI supports—not supplants—human curiosity, creativity, and care.

Now Accepting Proposals for Presentations

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🤖 Can AI Be an Inventor? 🤔

Flyer promoting a talk titled “AI, IP, and the New Frontier of Creation,” focused on the legal challenges of AI-generated works in areas like music, art, and code. The event features Professor Fairfield and discusses how courts and legal experts are addressing copyright, patent, and authorship in the age of artificial intelligence. Details include: Tuesday, April 8, 2025, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM in Classroom D. A robotic hand holds a glowing blue octagon labeled “AI,” with a note at the bottom saying, “Pizza will be served.” Background features a futuristic, geometric white design.

Join us on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, from 1:00–2:00 PM in Classroom D for a thought-provoking talk with Professor Josh Fairfield as we dive into one of the most pressing legal questions of our time: What happens when a machine creates something new?

From original artwork to lines of code, AI is reshaping what it means to be a creator—and the legal world is racing to catch up. This session will explore how courts, lawmakers, and scholars are wrestling with copyright, patent, and authorship in the age of artificial intelligence. If you’re curious about the future of innovation and intellectual property law, this event is for you.

Oh—and did we mention pizza will be served? 🍕

Bring your curiosity (and your appetite) as we unpack the legal frontier of AI-generated creativity. See you there!

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Need Help to Craft an AI Policy for your Syllabus?

Keep Calm and Read The Syllabus

Dr. Chris Heard, Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Seaver College at Pepperdine University, created a terrific tool to help instructors construct a statement about the use of generative AI for their syllabus.

This web-based decision tree tool, built using Twine, provides a customizable and interactive way for educators to draft statements that reflect their specific attitudes and policies regarding the use of generative AI in their courses. This resource ensures that faculty can clearly communicate their expectations and policies on AI usage to students, by working from a place of trust,  fostering transparency, and encouraging dialogue in the classroom.

Inspired by Heard’s work, this decision tree tool was recreated and tailored to W&L’s institutional needs. The Provost’s Office strongly recommends including an AI policy statement in every syllabus.

screenshot of the Generative AI Syllabus Statement Tool homepage

Access the Generative AI Syllabus Statement Tool! 

Should you have any questions or issues about using the tool, please stop by the Harte Center (LL1 in Leyburn Library). 

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🔥 🔥🔥 Sizzling Summer Workshop Alert! Free Your Summer with AI (and Dr. JT Torres) 🔥 🔥🔥

JT Torres directs the Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning. He supports teachers and students in all contexts, both in and out of the classroom. His approach to educational development focuses on meaningful relationships with students, teachers, and content. He helps educators cultivate critical connections with students, building on shared interest to achieve important outcomes.

Snacks will be provided. Space is limited, so sign up now! 

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Did you miss Derek Bruff’s take on how AI can improve assignment design?

At the top, it reads

“I like to say that tools like ChatGPT speak, but don’t think.”

Derek Bruff, Ph.D.
Strategic Advisor, UPCEA, and Visiting Associate Director, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, University of Mississippi

Bruff’s insights shed light on the nuanced relationship between AI tools and educational objectives. By sharing personal anecdotes and professional observations, Bruff underscores the importance of critical thinking and authentic assignments that prepare students for real-world challenges. He highlights AI’s limits and its potential to complement rather than replace human intellect, encouraging educators to rethink traditional assessment methods.

Don’t be sad if you missed it! We have Top Hat’s resources below: