Shaping the future of AI for Connecticut and beyond
Artificial intelligence is changing how we learn, work, conduct research, and solve problems. AI for ImpaCT brings together expertise from across UConn to advance the thoughtful and responsible use of AI in education, research, innovation, and public engagement.
As Connecticut’s flagship public research university, UConn is preparing students for an AI-enabled future, helping organizations and communities navigate technological change, and advancing research and innovation with the potential to improve lives.
AI Council
The AI Council brings together faculty, staff, students, and administrators from across UConn to help guide and coordinate the University’s approach to artificial intelligence. Chaired by the Provost’s Special Advisor on Artificial Intelligence, the Council identifies opportunities, needs, risks, and emerging priorities while connecting expertise and work underway throughout the University. The AI Executive Committee is a subgroup of the Council that helps coordinate this work and leads working groups focused on the domains outlined below.
Provost’s Special Advisor on AI
David Bergman
Provost’s Special Advisor on AI
Associate Dean, School of Business
Professor, Operations & Information Management
AI Executive Committee
Amit Savkar
Professor-in-Residence, Mathematics
Director, Quantitative Learning Center
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
AI Council Membership
Eric Bernstein
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, School of Dental Medicine
Associate Professor, Educational Leadership
School of Dental Medicine
Craig Burdick
Marketing Content Specialist & Project Manager
UCPEA Representative
University Communications
Daniel Burkey
Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs
College of Engineering
Jennifer Eigo
Instructor in-Residence, Operations & Information Management
Academic Director, MS in Business Analytics and Project Management
School of Business
Marcus Harris
Ph.D. Student, Research Methods, Measurement, and Evaluation
GEU Representative
Neag School of Education
Fumiko Hoeft
Professor, Psychological Sciences
Campus Dean and Chief Administrative Officer
UConn Waterbury
Tiffany Kelley
Professor-in-Residence
Co-Director, Nursing and Engineering Innovation Center
Elizabeth DeLuca School of Nursing
James Knighton
Associate Professor, Natural Resources and the Environment
AAUP Representative
College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, AAUP Representative
Nina Lemash
Undergraduate Student Trustee
Ion Moraru
Professor of Cell Biology
Deputy Director, Richard D. Berlin Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling
School of Medicine
Michael Morrell
Associate Professor, Political Science
Chair, University Senate Executive Committee
College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Charles Towe
Delfavero Professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Department Head, Agricultural and Resource Economics
College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources
Michelle Williams
Professor, Psychological Sciences
Associate Vice President for Research
Office of the Vice President for Research
Cristina Wilson
Henry M. and Judith M. Zachs Chair in Social Work
Ph.D. Program Director
School of Social Work
Areas of Focus
AI for ImpaCT organizes UConn’s university-wide work in artificial intelligence around four connected areas. Together, they provide a framework for preparing students and the workforce, advancing research and innovation, supporting responsible use, and building the resources needed to put AI into practice.
Responsible AI, Risk, and Community Trust
AI creates significant opportunities, but it also raises important questions about privacy, fairness, transparency, academic integrity, security, and accountability. UConn will draw on expertise from across disciplines to help the University and the communities it serves understand these issues and respond to them thoughtfully.
Education, Academic Programs, and Workforce Readiness
Students in every field will encounter AI in their education, careers, and daily lives. UConn is working to ensure that learners understand how AI works, how it is affecting their disciplines, and how to use it effectively and responsibly.
Research, Scholarship, and Innovation
AI is opening new avenues for discovery while changing how research and creative work are conducted across disciplines. UConn faculty and students are developing AI technologies, applying them to complex problems, and examining their broader implications for society.
Institutional Tools, Infrastructure, and Implementation
Effective use of AI requires more than access to new technology. It also requires appropriate infrastructure, reliable data, training, technical support, and a clear understanding of how particular tools can serve the University’s needs.
Messages from the Provost’s Special Advisor on AI
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Update on AI for ImpaCT
Dear UConn Community, Artificial intelligence presents extraordinary opportunities, important questions, and significant uncertainty for universities and for society. UConn has launched AI for ImpaCT, a university-wide effort to help our community thoughtfully understand, shape, and respond to this rapidly evolving technology. As part of that work, the Provost’s Office has convened an AI Council representing…
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Message to the Community
The development of AI at its current level of capability marks a remarkable technological achievement—not the product of a single discipline or a few years of work, but the culmination of decades of scientific, mathematical, and technological progress. Its capabilities invite wonder, particularly because of their potential to expand what people and institutions can accomplish.…
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Clarifying AI Expectations in Your Courses
Dear Colleagues, As we prepare for the upcoming academic year, I am pleased to introduce the Executive Committee of UConn’s AI Council: Anna Mae Duane, Amit Savkar, Derek Aguiar, Arash Zaghi, and me as chair. The Executive Committee will work with the broader AI Council to help coordinate UConn’s university-wide AI efforts through AI for ImpaCT, including work related…
