Episode 9.5: Incorporating artificial intelligence into universities
Exploring the future of AI in higher education: Ethics, innovation and opportunities at University of Idaho
BY Leigh Cooper and Danae Lenz
Image by Scott Riener
March 1, 2025
Meet Barrie Robison, a professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Data Sciences at University of Idaho. Artificial intelligence seems to be infiltrating all aspects of our lives. Robison will discuss the ways U of I is supporting its researchers, including a story of translating old educational texts, and how he hopes his team can improve how the university is run.
Email us at vandaltheory@uidaho.edu.
Do you use ChatGPT or another AI program?
Robison discusses the role of artificial intelligence in streamlining university research and administration. He highlights how AI tools he and his team are developing are accelerating grant processing, improving collaboration and helping faculty automate data analysis. A key example comes from Miranda Wilson, a cello professor who used AI to translate an old German text with complex musical and anatomical terminology — saving time and resources compared with traditional methods.
The discussion also covers the ethical considerations of AI in academia, including concerns about automation’s impact on traditional roles and research integrity. Robison introduces initiatives such as the Faculty Fellows in Generative AI program, which helps faculty members use AI in their research, and an NSF-funded project, which should benefit research administration with AI and reduce manual tasks.
Additionally, the episode explores AI’s expanding role beyond STEM fields, including efforts to make creative disciplines like music and visual arts more accessible through AI-driven categorization. With University of Idaho embracing AI’s potential, this conversation highlights the opportunities and challenges of integrating AI into higher education.
Time stamps
(0:00) Introduction
(1:02) Have you used AI?
(2:07) Meet Barrie Robison
(4:34) What is AI?
(7:49) What assumptions do people make about AI?
(9:17) Translating a German cello book
(13:42) AI for research administration
(19:07) Finding a professor
(23:36) Making the arts searchable
(26:53) U of I on the AI frontier
Music
“Young Republicans” by Steve Combs via freemusicarchive.org, not modified.
“Andromeda Spiral” by Matthew Robert Mateus and Jeremy Robert Chatelain via Amphibious Zoo music.