The new Artificial Intelligence club plans to encourage conversations about AI, destigmatize “ethical AI use” and prepare students to use AI in the workplace, according to their mission statement.
The AI club held its first meeting on Oct. 7. Co-presidents Pedro Liron de Robles, ’28, and Luis Tercero Herman, ’28, said they started the AI club because they noticed a lack of conversation about AI on campus.
“I’ve heard barely anything about AI. And it feels like such a pressing conversation to have, when we should use it, how to use it.” Tercero Herman said. “No one here is talking about it, so I think that bringing that conversation here to W&L is super important.”
Tercero Herman said that the AI club only advocates for “ethical AI use,” which he described as using AI to boost productivity and improve learning. This excludes using AI to cheat, complete assignments or negatively impact the quality of education.
Tercero Herman said he believes that the stigmatization around the unethical use of AI deters students from considering effective ways to use AI. He said he wants to combat this stigmatization by providing a space for students to learn about AI use and discuss AI policy.
“Ultimately, what we want is for students to be able to learn how to use AI effectively, to basically maximize their potential. That includes their academic potential and their potential beyond academia, so in their careers or even in their personal lives,” Tercero Herman said.
Bohdan Cherkai, ’28, said he joined the AI club because of the growing relevance of AI, especially in the professional world.
“I think AI is the next big thing, and I want to be ready for jobs … I just want to make it more a part of my life because I think AI skills are going to be very valuable in the future for careers and more,” Cherkai said.
The AI club will host a resume tailoring workshop to teach students how to use AI to get their resumes past automated screenings on Oct. 22. They also plan to host an AI strategy workshop in the future to give students the opportunity to share their opinions on how the university should incorporate AI into its curriculum.
Liron de Robles and Tercero Herman said they intend to expand their team in the next few months to take on more ambitious projects.
“We’re thinking of starting a newsletter where we talk about advancements in AI and having just two of us on that wouldn’t be enough,” Tercero Herman said.
This newsletter would report on the rapid advancements in AI so that students are consistently informed, Tercero Herman said.
“We want people on campus to know what’s going on in the AI world, and we want them to keep updated,” Tercero Herman said. “We want them to explore different AI platforms and see what works for them and really try and help them reach the best collaboration between them and AI.”
He said the co-presidents hope to host speaker events and invite Washington and Lee alumni from different fields to discuss how AI impacts their careers and industry.
“The AI club is dedicated to its mission to make AI a bigger part of Washington and Lee’s campus,” said Tercero Herman. “We want to basically make the environment for exploring AI to be a lot more conducive on campus. We really want to get people talking about AI and learning how to use it.”
