AI Position Statement

Our AI Position Statement, written in close consultation with the School’s faculty and revised annually, reflects the ever-changing realities of today’s world and guides our decisions as we navigate the evolving relationship between AI and our program:

Teaching and learning at Brearley is a human endeavor, one that requires grappling with complexity, embracing uncertainty, and sustaining intellectual effort.  Guided by our commitment to the greater good, we acknowledge the contrary possibility and peril of Artificial Intelligence (AI), of its practical use as a tool to iterate, automate, and serve as an assistive technology, and of its existential threat to the environment, originality, and learning for learning’s sake. We further recognize the trained bias of AI and understand that its proliferation will require students and teachers to wrestle with ethical considerations, including questions of authenticity, equity, and human agency.  

A Brearley education is grounded in critical thinking, inclusive practices, and deep, slow learning. A blank canvas, whether paper, digital document, or slab of clay, invites a student to discover her own thinking. This process elicits both frustration and delight, and with time reveals the qualities of a liberally educated person who is free to explore and fulfill the promise of her own talents. The use of AI at Brearley cannot interfere with this process, nor the primacy of the teacher in guiding student learning. The appropriate use of AI depends on context and learning objectives, requiring thoughtful discernment by the teacher about when these tools support learning. We will consider AI’s role in service of our mission and liberal arts education, but never as a means to circumvent either.

To be revised annually