A new deputy prorector and DKK 110 million are to prepare the University for a new reality

• News
• All news
• A new deputy prorector...

• Artificial intelligence
• Education
• Society

Artificial intelligence is causing changes to research, education and working life at a pace few had imagined. Now the University of Copenhagen launches a major initiative that is to help the University and Danish society in taking advantage of the opportunities and in dealing with the fundamental changes caused by the technology.

Artificial intelligence is already changing how students learn, the way researchers work and how administrative tasks are performed. In response, the University of Copenhagen (UCPH) is organising a number of AI activities under two strategic missions: AI at UCPH and UCPH with AI.

With a total investment of DKK 110 million, the missions are to ensure that UCPH can use and develop AI in education, research and administration, as well as contribute to new knowledge about the consequences of AI for society.

• appoints a deputy prorector for AI
• sets up an AI office and an AI task force
• establishes a new governance structure across the University
• establishes three AI labs to support researchers' use of AI
• invests in a common AI infrastructure, platforms and concrete AI solutions, for example, an upcoming 'UCPH Chat', a transcription tool and an 'AI traffic light' for guidance on compliant use of AI.

The new structure is intended to run for three years, after which UCPH expects the initiatives to be implemented in the organisation.

As part of the initiative, UCPH has appointed Morten Axel Pedersen as Deputy Prorector of AI. From 1 September, he will be heading a new organisation that will coordinate and support AI efforts across the University for a period of three years. Morten Axel Pedersen will report to the Rector of the University of Copenhagen.

"AI is not only a technology shock, not only a productivity shock. For the University, it's also an organisational shock. It fundamentally challenges how we do research, teach and perform our tasks. It presents big and new opportunities and challenges for both research and education," Rector David Dreyer Lassen says.

AI will be integrated into research, education and administration

In general, the AI initiative is not a project with an end date. It is a fundamental change that UCPH must learn to navigate over time. The goal is to become better at using AI and to develop skills that will enable researchers, students and employees to use the technology constructively, critically and responsibly.

The University of Copenhagen's new AI initiative comprises two strategic missions. The first mission is AI at UCPH. This means that everyone at UCPH needs to actively consider when and how artificial intelligence should - and should not - be integrated into the University's activities, including:

• Research and PhD programmes
• Education, teaching and examination forms
• Skills development for staff and students
• Administrative processes and workflows
• Secure, compliant and lawful use of AI.

"We don't know where the changes will take us, but the sooner we recognise that the world will move in ways that are difficult to predict, and perhaps hard to accept, the better prepared the University of Copenhagen will be to conduct research and provide education at the highest international level. These are exciting times for universities," David Dreyer Lassen says.

Within research, UCPH will support access to models, computing capacity and skills development, among other things, while AI will increasingly be integrated into academic methods and research practices. Within education, students will learn how to master AI in their field of study and when not to use it. At the same time, degree programmes and lecturers need to increasingly consider and use AI where it makes sense and opt out of it when it does not support education and learning. Finally, AI will contribute to improving the quality and efficiency of administrative tasks.

Everyone needs to consider AI

According to Deputy Prorector for AI, Morten Axel Pedersen, the most important task will be to ensure that the entire University is prepared for the changes caused by AI.

"AI will be omnipresent in our everyday and working lives, whether we want it or not. That's why students, researchers and employees must be able to navigate the opportunities, dilemmas and requirements that AI entails. My job will be to ensure the overall framework, but it will be a core task in every field to assess when and how AI should be used. Not everything needs to be AI, but everyone needs to consider it," Morten Axel Pedersen says.

Universities will be getting a new role

AI raises a number of questions about the future role of research and universities. When the access to information and text production is easier than ever before, the need for quality assurance, critical assessment and independent expertise grows.

According to David Dreyer Lassen, this role will become increasingly important in the coming years.

The other strategic mission UCPH with AI is about the University's role and position in a society and a job market that are being transformed by AI, including:

• Research in AI's impact on society
• New demands for education and skills, as well as for verification and certification of knowledge and skills
• Issues concerning digital sovereignty, AI's climate impact, ethics and regulation.

"In a world where it's easier to produce large volumes of content, the universities' ability to ensure quality, verify knowledge and educate people with expert judgement and new forms of competencies becomes even more important, both in the academic world and in society as a whole. In these aspects, we have a responsibility and the opportunity to contribute to society," says Rector of the University of Copenhagen.

The University of Copenhagen is already in a strong position when it comes to research activities, for example, in the Pioneer Centre for Artificial Intelligence and The National Center for AI in Society (CAISA). In addition, UCPH has several degree programmes and research environments in which AI is an integral part.

• Artificial intelligence
• Education
• Society