Our Approach
In times of uncertainty, we need a lighthouse to guide us. Here at Bowdoin, the liberal arts provide that steady beacon. The Hastings Initiative is like the cottage beside it, created to facilitate thoughtful engagement with AI today while imagining and building better tomorrows.
The Challenge
AI brings an unknown future and a relentless pace of change. But the future is not inevitable; it will be shaped by those willing to engage hard questions about our values, our priorities, and what it means to be human.
AI has no intrinsic motivation, no sense of purpose, no stake in outcomes. As the systems we build reflect our choices back to us, we must ask: What will we see? Who will we choose to become?
Our Approach
We start with questions: When should AI serve as our tool, and when should we refrain from using it? Who benefits, and at what cost? How can AI expand, rather than constrain, our capabilities? What struggles are necessary for learning? What can’t be automated? What shouldn’t be?
With these questions, we cultivate more than technical knowledge. We foster judgment when clarity is scarce, creativity to find new solutions, wisdom to know when human values matter most, and ethical reasoning to shape AI toward human flourishing. We develop the discernment to know when not to use AI.
We make space for this work in small classes that explore vital questions, collaborative research that examines AI’s implications and thoughtfully utilizes AI tools, and campus-wide conversations. In doing so, we aim to help break down disciplinary silos and engage the entire Bowdoin community.
Grounded in Bowdoin’s commitment to the common good and inspired by Reed Hastings’ charge to “critically examine, thoughtfully utilize, and ethically shape AI's trajectory,” our work is ongoing, imperfect, and essential.