At SMU, we believe that great things happen when passionate people can willingly explore new technologies together. Over the past year, I’m proud to say that SMU has made tremendous strides in our community understanding and applications of Generative AI in ways that serve our teaching, our research, and the everyday work we do to support students. Since last May’s launch of the SMU Generative AI Coalition of the Willing, many SMU faculty and staff have stepped forward—not because they were told to, but because they were curious, committed, and courageous.
What Is Generative AI, and Why Does It Matter?
Generative AI refers to tools—like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Copilot—that use machine learning to generate human-like text, images, programming code, and more. These tools help us brainstorm new ideas, write more clearly, analyze data faster, summarize complex readings, personalize student learning, learn new pedagogy, and save time on transactional work. But more importantly, Generative AI has challenged and is charging us to rethink what it means to teach, to learn, and to create in a unique moment in history.
As educators, scholars, and professionals, the SMU community can shape how these tools are used ethically, creatively, and effectively to serve our university and our student experiences.
Year One: Building a Willing Community
SMU’s first Generative AI Coalition of the Willing launched in May 2024 as a grassroots initiative sponsored by the Provost’s Office of Faculty Success and the Office of Information Technology. Associate Provost Paige Ware and Associate CIO Jason Warner invited willing faculty and staff across SMU to join a unique community focused on stoking the coals of safe AI experimentation and shared learning to ignite new fires. In exchange for receiving SMU-funded access to pilot AI tools, Coalition members agreed to use these tools meaningfully, share insights in a private Microsoft Teams group chat and discussion board, participate in surveys, and help others adopt AI with integrity and an open mind.
The response was inspiring. Over 100 people willingly joined our pilot year, representing nearly every school and division on campus. They used AI in the classroom, in writing labs, in research, in communication, and in administrative work. Some experimented with AI alongside their students, building transparency and new ways to collaborate. Others helped colleagues re-imagine assignments or gain confidence in their own digital AI fluency.
Here is some of what we learned:
- 84% of Coalition 1.0 members responded to our year-end survey.
- 92% of those respondents want to continue in year two.
- Participants were evenly split between faculty and staff, creating cross-campus conversations that rarely happen otherwise.
- Faculty used Generative AI most frequently to brainstorm new approaches to student assignments, summarize readings, and generate rubrics.
- Staff used AI to draft written reports, communicate with students, and improve efficiency.
We also heard real stories—professors using AI to better support neurodiverse learners, staff finding time-saving hacks, and teams using AI to spark new conversations about what matters in their service to higher education.
Perhaps most importantly, we discovered that when willing people are invited to explore safely with freedom and trust, they show up with energy, insight, and generosity.
What’s Next: SMU AI Coalition of the Willing 2.0
In 2025–26, we will expand and upgrade the Coalition even further. In our AI Coalition 2.0, we will be encouraging more people to join, especially those who want practical, hands-on support in exchange for willingness toward active use—especially with students.
Our next phase will focus on:
- Micro-use cases tailored to specific disciplines, offices, and departments
- Workshops and guided practice with even more real examples and shared prompts
- Active new chat channels and conversations in MS Teams to deepen safe dialogue
- Closer evaluation of tools and platforms for possible institutional support
We are not mandating the use of Generative AI. We are inviting even more intentional curiosity toward incorporation into how we can educate and prepare our students for the future. We will remain true to our virtues about investing in and supporting SMU people: in their ideas, their integrity, and their willingness to try.
Join the Movement
At SMU, we believe in leading by learning. Our AI Coalition of the Willing isn’t just about technology; it’s about our changing academic culture, community enablement, and how we at SMU can lead the way. This unique effort is about saying “yes” to innovation and “yes” to community. It’s about seizing our place as the University for Dallas and beyond that doesn’t just adopt tools—but adapts with purpose.
If you’ve ever wondered what Generative AI could do for you in your role at SMU, you’re not alone—and you’re exactly who we need. Stay tuned for more information on how you can join SMU’s Generative AI Coalition of the Willing 2.0 in the year ahead.
