As artificial intelligence reshapes society, Virginia Tech’s vision for AI is rooted in a simple belief: the true value of technology is determined by its ability to better serve humanity.
Through the lens of the university’s land-grant mission and its motto of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), the university has adopted a vision for leading in the responsible, ethical, and human-centered use of AI.
“AI has the potential to enhance the impact of human creativity and the value of human-centered skills such as adaptability, communication, critical thinking, leadership, and collaboration,” said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. “These skills are best advanced in a residential campus environment with guardrails, guidance, and interdisciplinary flexibility, and our engaging presences in the communities we serve. Hokies are ideally positioned to lead us into an AI-enabled future.”
To help define that path, Sands convened the AI Futures Working Group. The universitywide committee was charged with developing a vision for how Virginia Tech will teach, research, deploy, and lead on artificial intelligence in the years ahead. Co-chairs Warren Dixon, the dean of the College of Engineering, and Rishi Jaitly, professor of practice and Distinguished Humanities Fellow in the Center for Humanities, lead a broad, cross-disciplinary effort to shape the framework. The Office for Strategic Affairs facilitates the committee, aligning the vision with community perspectives on AI’s role in the future of higher education gathered through the university’s continuous strategic planning process.
“The future of AI will ultimately be measured by the difference it makes in people’s lives,” Dixon said. “Our work at Virginia Tech is to provide a cultural framework around AI so that faculty, staff, and students embrace AI as an enabler to enhance human capability while preserving the values, creativity, and judgment that make our communities strong.”
Virginia Tech’s vision for AI
The working group developed the following institutional vision statement that will direct a new path for artificial intelligence at Virginia Tech:
At Virginia Tech, we believe that the true value of any technology lies in its ability to enhance the human experience and expand human opportunity. Guided by our land-grant mission and the spirit of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), we shape the future of AI with an eye on teaching, research and service, and dedicate ourselves long-term to setting a new standard for a technology that serves the public interest and the people of Virginia Tech. By fostering a culture that centers AI-fluency and ethical responsibility, we empower our community to interrogate, steward, and harness these technologies to address the questions and challenges that impact the future of how we learn, work and live. In so doing, we lead a wider regional, national, and global conversation through listening, learning, and leadership.
To advance this vision, Virginia Tech will engage with artificial intelligence in a manner consistent with its academic mission, public-service responsibilities, and long-standing commitment to innovation.
“We’re living through ‘future of’ times, during which weighty questions about the future of learning, leadership, and so much more are in the air,” Jaitly said. “I’m proud that, at Virginia Tech, our heritage and history offer us the opportunity to center humanity as we contemplate the role of AI in our service mission. The AI Futures Working Group looks forward to supporting the ability of all members of the university community to cultivate elevated judgment about these technologies by drawing on the timely – and timeless.”
Preparing every Hokie for an AI-enabled future
The vision for AI empowers faculty, staff, and students to harness these technologies, while continuing to question their impact and influence on our everyday lives.
In the coming months, the university will be announcing tools, strategies, and opportunities to support the entire campus community in utilizing these emerging technologies in the spirit of our service motto.
AI Futures Working Group members
- Rishi Jaitly, professor of practice, distinguished humanities fellow in the Center for Humanities
- Warren Dixon, dean of the College of Engineering
- France Bélanger, University Distinguished Professor, R. B. Pamplin Professor, and Tom & Daisy Byrd Senior Faculty Fellow in Pamplin College of Business; Association for Information Systems Fellow
- Jeffrey Loeffert, director of the School of Performing Arts
- Dale Pike, associate vice provost for technology-enhanced learning
- Sharon Pitt, vice president for information technology and chief information officer
- Lauren Pollard, director for strategic affairs
- Naren Ramakrishnan, University Distinguished Professor, Thomas L. Phillips Professor in the Department of Computer Science; director of the Sanghani Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics; AI and machine learning lead, Institute for Advanced Computing
- Sarah Rodriguez, associate professor, 2026 Microsoft AI Economy Institute Fellow
