As Generative AI tools become ubiquitous, academic leaders are increasingly fielding questions from faculty and families about whether AI detection tools should be part of evaluating students’ work. However, before turning to these tools, it’s essential to understand their limitations and reconsider their role in the academic setting.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of education, Generative AI has emerged as a powerful tool for enhancing various aspects of our work as school leaders. As the head of The Gunston School, I knew that this year was the time for me to dive into Generative AI. In a short time, it has transformed my daily school leadership routine and provided valuable educational insights. 

In the whirlwind of 2020, One Schoolhouse shared a vital piece of advice that proved transformative for many schools: "Simplify your technology portfolio." Amid the pandemic’s chaos, this guidance helped schools focus on delivering quality education.

This moment in generative AI feels a bit like the Cambrian explosion, a period of time about 530 million years ago, when there was a sudden burst of diverse life forms.

"We wanted to dig into AI this year, and I always thought of the Association as producing incredibly high quality work," Anneke said. By taking the Association course, AI Considerations for Academic Leaders, she had the “opportunity to work asynchronously, discuss problems of practice with other leaders and access a wealth of carefully curated videos, data, and written resources." 

Bob Weiman, Associate Head of School at St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School (SSSAS), and his colleagues realized quickly that the wide availability of Generative AI was going to be "transformational in a way that other forms of technology haven't been--and this is going to change teaching and learning." 

I can remember my husband and me at our kitchen island, him on his laptop, us laughing, as he fed questions into ChatGPT like, Why can’t my wife load the dishwasher correctly? This was the date ChaptGPT was “born,” and like many seismic cultural events, it created a flashbulb memory for me.

An interesting phenomenon I’ve noticed is that we teachers extol the virtues of collaborative learning in the classroom, but rarely have time for it ourselves. Busy schedules can make it difficult to set aside time for partnerships on projects or professional development that are seen as outside the scope of typical unit planning.

Decades ago, I attended one of the first Anytime, Anywhere conferences at which a few tech companies promoted the idea that soon, every student would have a personal laptop for daily use in school. As I watched videos of Australian children walking into school toting their laptop bags, I had a sense that I was seeing something momentous at its beginning.

In his much-shared article “The Homework Apocalypse,” Ethan Mollick opens with the assumption that “Not enough educators (and parents) are preparing for the Homework Apocalypse that is coming this Fall.”

As a school leader, I am constantly seeking ways to enhance efficiency, foster creativity, and stay informed about the latest advancements in education. Recently, I have been exploring the potential of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and the potential for it to have an impact on my work.

Right now, everyone knows they need to talk about AI–and they’re not sure where to look. The Association for Academic Leaders is making sure that members have the resources they need to tackle top-of-mind issues and lead conversations with confidence and knowledge. 

Academic Leaders are continuing to have important conversations around AI on campus and with peers in other schools. When the advisory council met to generate ideas around the topics that would be included in this year’s Marking the Moment, there was unanimous support for including  AI, not just once, but twice: there’s teaching and learning about AI, and then there’s educator use of AI.

The talk around AI abounds, and schools are having important conversations on campus about what this means for their communities. Academic Leaders are asking, “What’s my role in issuing guidance?” How do I get started? This is the time to draw upon several of the essential competencies of academic leadership, perhaps most immediately: Assess the present, understand the past, and design for the future.

The age of artificial intelligence is upon us, and the education press and social-media-sphere have been crackling with queries, dismay, disbelief, excitement, outrage, and just about every other kind of response educators can have.