With the Hewlett funding now in place, we are busy at BCcampus scoping out a project plan for the Open GenAI project. The team that will be supporting this work will be myself – Robynne Devine, Senior Project Manager, PMO, Harper Friedman, Coordinator Open Textbook Publishing, and Kaitlyn Zheng, Coordinator, Project Support and Open Publication, with Clint Lalonde being our Project Champion. I will be leaning on Clint a lot at the beginning given his deep understanding and vision for this project. Harper and Kaitlyn are already busy doing some preliminary research. I have been focusing on project documentation and doing as much learning as I can on Gen AI.  

The goal of this project will be to explore and experiment with a variety of open-source Gen AI tools and technologies that align with open education values, including focusing on issues of equity, accessibility, and inclusivity while also offering offline access, reducing environmental impact, and ensuring student privacy.  BCcampus will work with partners in the develop of an ethically focused AI powered study tool prototype to compliment the BCcampus open textbook collection.  

WOW, ok that sounds like a lot, and it is. There are so many questions floating around in my brain right now. 

What defines an equitable open Gen AI tool or technology? 

Is it possible to have a fully accessible open GenAI tool? 

What is defines an ethical AI powered study tool prototype? 

How can we build this to ensure its improving learning and not taking away from the learning? 

How do we define ethical? 

I lean towards an AI study tool that asks students questions to help guide them to deepen their learning, rather than providing answers or summaries, but that is just me and it is early in the project. But I am trying to enter into this project being aware of the biases (good and bad) around GenAI. Student safety and improved student experiences are top of mind for this work. 

Robynne