Friday, February 6, 9:30am - 3:30pm | James Room, Barnard Hall

What would responsible AI mean for the liberal arts? AI is already impacting classrooms, workplaces, media, and the environment in ways that bring both risks as well as new possibilities. Research and public debate have highlighted AI’s potential to accelerate scientific and medical discovery, increase accessibility to an array of content and materials, speed translation across languages, and process large amounts of archival data. At the same time, scholars and critics have raised concerns that uneven access to AI could widen inequality, that its use may undermine privacy, and that its reliance on energy-intensive data centers is contributing to environmental damage. Like other major technological and cultural shifts, these systems demand that educators and researchers ask hard questions about how they work, whose interests they serve, how they influence academic disciplines and career paths, and how they affect the world we share. What role ought Barnard and the liberal arts play in framing the conversation, contributing to research on AI, and educating the broader public?

Full Symposium Description | Symposium Registration | Community Showcase: Call for Proposals

Image

Our AI studio program is complete for the Fall 2025 semester. Please check back in January for more information on our studio schedule for the Spring 2026 semester.

Curious about generative AI but not sure where to start—or ready to push your ideas further? Our Generative AI Interactive Studios offer a drop-in space for Barnard students, faculty, and staff to experiment with generative AI tools, explore their uses, and get guidance from our staff. Come with a project, a question, or just curiosity—you'll have space, support, and access to tools that can help you dive deeper.

Try out tools newly available through your Barnard accounts like Google Gemini (2.5 Flash and 3 Pro) and NotebookLM. Access the latest generative AI models: OpenAI’s GPT-5 series models (Fast, Thinking, and Pro), Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.1 and Sonnet 4.5, plus creative platforms like Adobe Firefly and OpenAI Sora. This is a chance to explore generative AI in a supportive, curiosity-driven environment—a shared space where you can learn, create, and experiment alongside peers, with knowledgeable staff close at hand.

What to expect:

• Dedicated space to explore, experiment, or troubleshoot your ideas
• Live demos on the main screen while you work on your own projects
• Support at every level—from first-time users to advanced experimenters
• Flexible format: drop in anytime during the session, no RSVP required

Bring your curiosity (and a laptop if you'd like to use your own accounts), and leave with new skills, ideas, or tools for your research, teaching, or creative work.

Tools are subject to availability and may change based on platform updates, availability, and access changes.

The Generative AI Learning Community provides space for students, staff, and faculty to explore and experiment with generative AI technologies. Co-hosted by ATLIS, the CEP, and the CSC, the community meets monthly during the Fall and Spring semesters. Activities have included talks from guest speakers,  community member presentations, hands-on tool demonstrations, small group discussions, and AI game playing. We’re always open to new members within the Barnard and Columbia communities! Please fill out our interest form to join our mailing list.

We held three community meetings during the Fall 2025 semester covering the impacts of generative AI on cognition and learning, economics and the job market, and the environment.  Please check back in January for Spring semester dates and topic.