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Artificial intelligence poses opportunities — and challenges — for educators.

"It's not only about how to use AI, but how to prepare students for a world that is unknown to all of us right now," said Assistant Head of School for Academics Stephanie Wujcik Griffin, who led an all-Trinity faculty and staff workshop on AI.

While there is some discomfort in education circles about AI, Griffin said it was important to "engag(e) in that discomfort" to shape how AI can be instructed.

Griffin's AI workshop took place during an afternoon of professional development that included training in MagicSchool AI. It was the first of a series of planned AI workshops that will take place this school year. A faculty and staff task force on AI has been formed and begins its work this month.

Trinity's time-honored mission and educational philosophy positioned the school to meet the moment, Griffin said. “The academic excellence that's at our core has given students the learning skills they can transfer into being adept at emerging technologies and having that human connection and commitment to community.”

Just as Trinity's collaborative workshop classroom setting gives students space to build their own knowledge and explore new paths to solve problems, Griffin said they also need space to be uncomfortable with not knowing an answer. "It's a resiliency skill," she said.

In breakout conversations at tables, faculty and staff identified opportunities and challenges ahead as the school crafts its approach to AI. They saw as opportunities:

• Build on Trinity's commitment to humanity
• Measure students' growth and learning beyond traditional academics
• Empower strong-minded humans with flexibility and the ability to think critically
• Sharpen students' communication, leadership dexterity, and develop their independence and a discerning mind.
• Summon the courage to explore and try, relying on one another to learn together

Challenges that were identified for AI included:

• Difficulty in understanding what is real and what is fake
• AI's focus on the result without real inquiry
• Whose voices are included and excluded in the construction and generation of the large-language model?
• How to handle the enormous access to AI

While those are big unknowns - with more unknowns emerging - Griffin said the school's mission and philosophy will guide the way.

"We don't quite know where we're going, but we can walk together," she said.