The AI landscape is evolving at lightning speed, and the rise of tools like ChatGPT and its counterpart Copilot is one of the most exciting developments I have seen in our space over the last 25 years. That is saying quite a bit given we have watched the rise of the Internet, the read/write web, and mobility during that time. Each of these breakthroughs was going to simultaneously save and destroy education; is this time different?

I’ve been spending many evenings diving into these tools, and I have to say, the potential here is beyond encouraging—it’s revolutionary. Whether you’re a faculty member balancing a mountain of research and student essays, a staff member managing endless administrative tasks, or a student trying to make sense of complex readings, these tools have the ability to supercharge your productivity and radically reshape how we work in higher education.

For faculty, ChatGPT can streamline so much of the administrative burden that clogs up valuable time. Imagine this: you feed in a list of objectives, and ChatGPT instantly creates a rubric for an assignment. Or when essays come in, you can ask it to do an initial assessment based on a rubric you both co-created. This doesn’t replace your role as an educator—it enhances it. It gives you the space to focus on deeper, more impactful teaching.

Using ChatGPT is like having a virtual assistant ready to handle routine tasks at breakneck speed. Planning meetings, organizing data, and even plowing through spreadsheets—ChatGPT handles it all with ease and precision. I recently had to tackle an organizational review on a group I barely knew. By feeding data into ChatGPT, I was able to create a comprehensive, compelling set of recommendations that took me just three hours. Without it, this would have been weeks of tedious work.

And for students, the possibilities are endless. Imagine being able to create a custom AI assistant for each class, one that can summarize readings, quiz you on tough concepts, and help you master material faster.

We have a responsibility to lead this charge across campus. Start experimenting with ChatGPT. See if it can actually help you solve problems in ways you’ve never thought possible. You might be surprised at how quickly this tool frees you up to focus on what really matters: transforming education for the better.

We are at the forefront of something monumental. It’s time for us to take the reins and lead the way forward. Let’s embrace this future together.