New Fall AI Offerings for Faculty Featured in Omnia

Omnia, the online magazine of Penn Arts & Sciences, has published a story on the AI training programs rolling out for Penn faculty this fall, led by Bhuvnesh Jain, Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Natural Sciences and the School's AI lead.

The centerpiece is a hybrid version of How AI Works, the mini-course Jain piloted in person this summer. Launching in October with support from CETLI and Penn Libraries, it pairs recorded lectures with in-person discussion and hands-on labs where faculty apply AI to their own research and teaching. It's open to faculty across the University, with a cap of around 100 participants and the goal of running once a semester.

Alongside it, a department-level initiative will designate an "AI faculty facilitator" in each participating department—currently History, Philosophy, and Physics & Astronomy, plus departments from Penn Law, Nursing, Engineering, and Vet—to run trainings and hold office hours. DDDI has also launched a resource hub offering a tools matrix and support for faculty with questions about AI.

The story also touches on the Penn AI Pedagogy Initiative, a Penn AI–funded collaboration supporting AI-enhanced learning in 18 undergraduate courses. The overarching goal, Jain says, is that "everyone should feel confident navigating these technologies."