Pamela Whitten, Indiana University’s president, shared insights on the university’s popular artificial intelligence skills course. The responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
U.S. News: Why did IU decide to open its AI skills course to all students and anyone outside of the school and make it free?
Pamela Whitten: AI is fundamentally changing how leading universities support students and drive discovery. Our students will enter a workforce where AI fluency will be expected, and at IU, we believe that AI should amplify human potential, not diminish it.
- We launched our course to equip our students, faculty, staff and alumni to use AI with confidence and agency, while developing the human skills that will set them apart.
- Our GenAI 101 course was purposefully built to be relevant to students and professionals regardless of field or discipline.
- It focuses on real-world applications, including prompt engineering, data storytelling, fact-checking AI-generated content and understanding ethical AI use.
As word about our course spread, interest exploded from government partners, industry collaborators and the general public. If our goal is to ensure AI is used to serve people, we thought we had an opportunity and an obligation to make our course widely available.
Courtesy of Indiana University
U.S. News: What is the response from students and community members so far?
- GenAI 101 has enrolled more than 114,000 IU students, faculty and staff. When the course opened to the public, hundreds of people enrolled in the first few hours.
- Businesses, governments and other universities have reached out wanting to learn more about our approach.
- The course resonates with a wide range of learners – from first-year students to executives – because it makes AI approachable, useful and actionable.
- It uses short videos and practical examples that focus on everyday applications that build confidence quickly, regardless of a student’s prior technical experience.
U.S. News: How can other schools bolster their AI education programs and increase access?
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Whitten: We must treat AI literacy as a core skill essential for every field and discipline.
- AI should be embraced not only by computer scientists and engineers, but also by humanists and other professionals whose perspectives are critical to shaping how these technologies are used responsibly and effectively.
- The institutions that do this well will empower faculty that recognize how AI can reshape teaching practices and accelerate research in meaningful ways, while not ignoring AI’s limitations and risks.
- They will prepare students who can maximize the impact of AI precisely because they can think critically, consider ethical implications, communicate well and solve complex problems.
For us, that looks like a GenAI Faculty Fellows Program with 100+ faculty helping shape how AI informs new teaching and research practices. We believe that means breaking down some traditional barriers to make compelling courses available for free. At a time of rapid technological change, we have a platform to expand opportunity for Hoosiers, whether they’re officially enrolled with us or not.
