Vanderbilt Staff Used AI to Email Students About the Michigan State Shooting

After the recent shooting at the University of Michigan, staff at Vanderbilt University in Nashville sent an email offering support and comfort to students. "In the wake of the Michigan shootings," it read, referring to the February 13 attack that left three students dead and five injured, "let us come together as a community to reaffirm our commitment to caring for one another and promoting a culture of inclusivity on our campus." Then, in small text at the end of the message, was a line revealing that the 300-word email had been, at least in part, generated by artificial intelligence: "Paraphrase from OpenAI's ChatGPT AI language model, personal communication, February 15, 2023," it read, the Vanderbilt Hustler reported. The email was signed by three affiliates of the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Vanderbilt's Peabody College of Education and Human Development, including Associate Dean Nicole Joseph. Joseph, in an email to students the following day, reportedly apologized for the incident, calling it "poor judgment."