Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence

Established in 2021, the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Colby is the first cross-disciplinary institute for artificial intelligence (AI) at a liberal arts college. The institute facilitates interdisciplinary, human-centered scholarship using rich datasets with real-world consequences and prepares students for a future where AI is transforming industries, careers, and modes of discovery, creativity, and scholarship. AI shapes all our lives; we should all be informed, critical AI tool users and tool-builders.

The reach of AI and machine learning into nearly all aspects of society demands a broad approach to the subject that is tailor-made for the liberal arts. Future leaders in this field are best served with training to think critically about a range of issues, an appreciation of history, culture, and societies to make judicious choices about the use and impact of AI, and a humanistic lens from which to ensure that AI will be both developed and used to high ethical standards.

The institute also provides funding to support Colby faculty interested in exploring new ways to incorporate AI tools and methodologies into their teaching and research or for designing new courses to include meaningful learning opportunities with AI.