The Brief »

Written by: Kendra H. Oliver, PhD |Managing Director, Hub for AI and Data Science Leadership |aihub.pitt.edu

One of the questions we hear most often isn't "Should we use AI?"—it's "what is everyone else actually doing?" There is a real hunger for honest, practical accounts from people doing the work right here at Pitt.

That's why we started AI Teaching Field Notes. We are excited to share the first two articles in the series: 

The first features Ansuman Chattopadhyay from the Molecular Biology Information Service at Pitt's Health Sciences Library System. AI tools in his world aren't coming soon—they're already built, available, and actively being tested through Pitt Claude. These tools stand out because of the focus on trust, verification, and workflows designed around the realities of research. Read more about AI-Powered Research Tools for Life Sciences.

The second is a conversation with Professor Alexandros Labrinidis, who teaches Introduction to Data Science at Pitt. Over this semester, he used AI to salvage a lesson when a classroom platform crashed a couple of hours before class and leaned into AI's mistakes as live teaching moments. But he also started noticing a troubling pattern: students who ace every assignment but can't pass an exam. His philosophy has settled into something like AI as active collaborator, with himself firmly in the driver's seat. Read more about AI as co-pilot, not autopilot in the classroom.

Last week, HAIL joined the LSET community at the University of Pittsburgh for "Co-Designing Teaching for a Gen AI World, Together"—a convening focused on how educators can intentionally shape AI's role in learning. In a new post, we reflected on how Dr. Raquel Coelho's keynote set a compelling frame that the learning environments we build reflect deliberate choices, and AI is no exception. Her core message resonates deeply with the work we're doing on the AI Playbook. Read our full reflection on the event

If you're navigating something similar—or something entirely different—we'd love to hear from you. 

What’s Next »

• Cloud Innovation Center – Now Hiring
  • The University of Pittsburgh Cloud Innovation Center still has a few open roles available. This is a great opportunity for students interested in applied AI, data science, and real-world projects. View and apply through the LinkedIn Post. 
•  Submit a Project Idea (Faculty and Staff)
  • Have an idea that could benefit from collaboration with the Cloud Innovation Center? Faculty and staff can now submit potential project concepts for consideration. Submit potential project concepts.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Beyond Pitt »

What we're noticing—emerging trends, research, and perspectives shaping AI and data science.

• Nilay Patel's essay argues that the tech industry's AI backlash problem isn't a marketing failure but a fundamental disconnect between how people in tech think about automation and why ordinary people actually distrust it.
• A Harvard RCT (Scientific Reports, June 2025) found that students using a purpose-built AI tutor learned significantly more in less time and felt more engaged than those in active learning classrooms. Critics flag limited generalizability beyond elite university students.
• The OECD's Digital Education Outlook 2026 warns that without pedagogical guidance, outsourcing tasks to GenAI simply enhances performance with no real learning gains.
• New College Board research: 92% of faculty are concerned about AI-facilitated plagiarism, and 84% believe it reduces critical thinking. Only 21% feel confident guiding student AI use.
• Only 22% of students surveyed (from 2025 report from the Center for Democracy and Technology) received guidance on their school's AI policy, yet 86% used AI during the last school year.

Have articles you want to share with us for next time? Email them to us! 

Spotlights »

• We Asked Our Community How They Use AI. Here's What Two Days Revealed. 200 dots. Two very different rooms. One revealing pattern.
• Data Science and AI Forum Day One: Research Poster Showcase From cancer detection to TikTok politics — see what Pitt students are building.
• Forum to Explore How Pittsburgh and Pitt Factor in the AI Explosion Why this city, this university, and this moment matter.
• What Pitt Students Actually Think About AI They're using it anyway. The question is whether anyone's helping them do it well.
• How Are Students Actually Using AI? It's not what the headlines say — and the data from Pitt's own classrooms proves it.
• Official guidance on naming conventions for AI academic programs.

Have an article, topic, or event you'd like us to spotlight? Tell us about it!