As we all know, the world of tech is constantly evolving, and AI is no exception. It’s amazing to see how AI is changing the way we make decisions, especially for those of us in leadership roles. But with this new power comes a whole lot of responsibility.

One of the biggest things we need to consider is the ethical side of using AI. We need to be open and honest about how AI is being used to make decisions, and what data is feeding into those decisions. For example, we need to be aware of situations where AI tools might be used to evaluate student work, and understand how those tools might have different error rates for evaluating essays written by native vs. non-native English speakers. It’s also super important to make sure everyone on the team understands how AI works and feels comfortable questioning its recommendations. After all, we’re a team, and we need to be accountable to each other.  

Of course, we can’t forget the human side of things. We need to make sure that using AI doesn’t leave anyone out or reinforce any biases. Our goal should always be to create a more inclusive workplace. This is especially important when using AI in situations with the potential to create a hostile environment, such as when using facial recognition technology or AI-enabled content moderation tools.  

Now, don’t get me wrong, AI can be incredibly helpful. It can help us streamline our work, personalize learning opportunities, and even give us a glimpse into the future with predictive analytics. But we need to find a balance between using AI to make things more efficient and staying connected to the human element in our organizations. For instance, if we’re using AI to identify students at risk of dropping out, we need to make sure that the tool isn’t unfairly targeting certain groups and that we’re providing support to those students in a way that is both effective and respectful.  

As leaders, it’s up to us to set the ethical standards and make sure we’re always putting our team’s well-being first. If we can do that, we can unlock the full potential of AI without sacrificing the trust and integrity that are so important for successful leadership.

What do you all think? I’m really interested to hear your thoughts on this!

And for more reading on this subject, check out this memo published by the U.S. Department of Education, which inspired this post.