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It’s the trendy technological tool causing some educators to take a deep breath and others to hold theirs. It’s artificial intelligence.
For some teachers, it’s lightened an impossible workload, with AI chatbots and other tools acting as a private tutor for those who need personalized help. But other stakeholders in the education sphere say AI could further an already-dire literacy and math comprehension crisis among those in grades K-12 and exacerbate cheating among college students.
Meanwhile, some universities are embracing the digital field, even giving students the opportunity to major in AI – a model that’s been around for decades but has in recent years gained buzz thanks to Big Data.
Statewide, regulations around how schools should use AI and even proposals to limit regulation altogether are still being ironed out by the legislature, which means AI in higher education is still somewhat of the wild west.
How are Greater Cincinnati’s colleges and universities responding to the AI craze? What opportunities are available and what regulations are in place?
Here’s what we know.
A look at AI across Greater Cincinnati colleges, universities
University of Cincinnati
The largest university in Hamilton County has a landing page (ai.uc.edu) dedicated to AI. Policies for acceptable use, inclusivity among users with disabilities and regular assessment and mitigation of risks are all listed as part of the page.
From there, users can navigate to a “compass for navigating the ethical and practical landscape of AI” in the form of AI Guidelines, first directing students to use UC-licensed AI tools using their UC login credentials. These tools include BearcatGPT, UC’s private version of the company OpenAI’s ChatGPT feature.
UC’s integration of AI began in early 2025 when the university began accepting submissions on AI use by students, faculty and staff that were then reviewed by an official university team dubbed the AI Enablement Community of Practice (AIECOP).
As far as AI in the classrooms at UC goes, there are several undergraduate and graduate programs that feature AI in the tagline, like a Master’s of Engineering in Artificial Intelligence degree featuring courses in technology law, machine learning and intelligent systems theory.
UC also offers a graduate certificate from its Lindner College of Business that explores the use of AI in business, namely in improving managerial productivity.
On an undergraduate level, the school’s Blue Ash campus offers an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Artificial Intelligence, a two-year work force program that prepares students for entry-level positions that have to do with AI.
Miami University
Like UC, Miami University offers a host of AI guidance across several departments. The digital field is woven into the schools’ MiamiTHRIVE strategic plan with a focus on giving students hands-on experience with AI that demonstrates how the tool can assist in human capabilities rather than replacing them.
As of September 2024, the public university in Butler County also offers university-sponsored AI tools, like Google Gemini, a standard tool included in Google Workspace.
Guidance for both teachers and students’ use of AI are outlined on the university’s website, with a focus on “ensuring GenAI supports rather than short-changes the teaching and learning process,” the site states.
The site provides sample AI policies teachers can implement in their respective syllabi, ranging from prohibition to AI use allowed on some assignments to parameters for using generative AI throughout the course.
A look at the school’s course catalogue shows a handful of AI programs offered, including an AI minor focused on machine learning and a Bachelor’s of Science in AI in the College of Engineering and Computing.
Xavier University
Xavier University, doesn’t offer its own landing page for AI use but, rather, a list of academic research pertaining to AI for faculty and students’ reference.
Rather than a Xavier-sponsored version of AI tools like UC has, the private Jesuit Catholic school gives students and staff access to Microsoft AI tools, like the Microsoft365 Enterprise version of Copilot.
And unlike Miami and UC, Xavier’s AI academic offering isn’t offered through an engineering department but rather as a bachelor of arts degree. In it, students are offered training in the technical parts of AI like coding and robotics but also a strong ethical understanding of the potential benefits and drawbacks of AI.
Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
The bulk of the guidance surrounding AI use at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College is contained in its “Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy” posted on its website.
The policy outlines guidelines for student and staff use, namely academic integrity among students, instructor discretion when determining the appropriateness of AI tool usage, transparency and disclosure, data privacy and security measures against inputting confidential or sensitive information into AI tools and ethical use.
Inside the classroom, there are no AI-specific bachelor’s or associate programs, but there are a few courses covering the digital tool available to students. These offerings include AI for Business, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence and a Python for AI course, which helps student build AI-powered apps.
Northern Kentucky University
Like its counterparts, Northern Kentucky University offers AI guidelines for the campus community covering how students should cite and ethically use AI, how to use NKU login credentials to ensure data is secure while using Microsoft Copilot and how faculty should use AI during instruction, grading and generating content.
NKU’s Chase College of Law is the only college that offers students sponsored AI tools, namely Lexis Protégé and Westlaw CoCounsel. But regarding the rest of the student body, NKU offers Microsoft Co-Pilot 365.
Like Miami, NKU offers a minor in artificial intelligence through its College of Informatics. Several AI courses are also available to students through both the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education.
Gateway Community & Technical College
The community college in Northern Kentucky follows the Kentucky Community & Technical College System (KCTCS) framework for AI for both student and faculty use, Gateway Community’s media manager Phil Dischar told The Enquirer.
The statewide entity outlines use of AI as it pertains to cheating and plagiarism in its Student Conduct and Academic Integrity policies. Faculty use of AI when creating courses is also outlined in KCTCS guidelines, which ask faculty to set course-specific rules for generative AI that, similarly to Miami, ranges in regulation from “not permitted” to “required as a learning tool.”
In promoting student use of AI through coursework and access to Microsoft365 tools, Dischar said, Gateway Community wants to meet the workforce demand for employees comfortable with AI while maximizing student success.
“AI tools, when used thoughtfully, can help students brainstorm, organize ideas, draft and revise, and navigate career planning. That’s particularly important for our adult learners and first-generation students,” Dischar said.
Like Cincinnati State, Gateway Community doesn’t offer AI-specific majors or minors as a four-year university would. But, it does have AI-related courses, certificates and noncredit online training programs, like AI for Business and AI for Everyday Life and Work.
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