Perspectives on AI

Perspectives from members of the Hastings Initiative, along with guest contributors, exploring AI and its ethical implications. This growing collection features short pieces that offer different questions, experiences, and points of view.

Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent the official positions of Bowdoin College or the Hastings Initiative. 

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  To Use or Not to Use

  To use AI or not? Calvin Cecil '28 reflects on his summer exploring AI as a Hastings Fellow, sharing lessons he's taking into the academic year.

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  Breaking Out of the Jar

  Academic writing often teaches us to erase ourselves, becoming "brains in jars." Instead of fearing AI will replace academic papers, Hastings postbac Anya Workman suggests we reclaim what makes them irreplaceable: our humanity.

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  A Bowdoin Education in the Age of AI

  Who would you give an army of helpers to pursue their vision? Senior Lecturer Reed Johnson explores how AI could make that possible for everyone, and why it's vital to cultivate curiosity, imagination, and ethics in students.

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  I'm a Writer. Why Do I Work with AI?

  Andrew Mott '26 has real concerns about AI, so why does he spend so much time with it? He argues that fear of AI is less useful than staying close to it, keeping your eyes open, and engaging critically.

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  Convenient AI and Higher Ed

  Professor Eric Chown makes the case that the real AI threat in higher ed isn't "evil AI" but "convenient AI." When students take a transactional approach to learning, AI becomes endless temptation. The solution: cultivating purpose and motivation.

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  AI and Critical Thinking: Augmentation or Replacement?

  Hastings postdoc Collin Lucken examines AI's impact on critical thinking at liberal arts colleges. While AI can augment reasoning skills, over-reliance risks "cognitive offloading," potentially weakening independent judgment. Part 1 of a series on AI concerns.