From: Anya Workman
Date: October 14, 2025
Subject: The Hastings Initiative October Newsletter

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The Hastings Initiative Newsletter  Issue 1, October 2025 What We've Been Up To Community Reading and Brian Christian Campus Visit This month, we wrapped up our first community reading project with Brian Christian’s The Alignment Problem. In preparation for Brian’s visit, we distributed over 250 books to faculty, staff, and students, and hosted several book discussions and a mini-lecture. On October 6th, Brian joined us on campus for a series of events about AI alignment and higher education. Student Ambassadors We welcomed four Hastings Student Ambassadors [ADD NAMES], who will help with student programming and engagement throughout the academic year. Research and Education Grants We have continued to give out research and education grants to faculty and academic staff. So far, we have awarded 26 grants to support projects ranging from purchasing a subscription to an AI language tutoring tool to exploring how AI can be used to monitor vulnerable storm-petrel populations effectively without disturbing them. Recommended Reading "Finding God in the App Store," The New York Times "The Machines Finding Life That Humans Can't See,"  The Atlantic "AI is Making the College Experience Lonelier," The Chronicle of Higher Education AI History Corner At a summer research workshop at Dartmouth College in 1956, a small group of scientists proposed the idea that human intelligence could be replicated by machines, coining the term "artificial intelligence." Almost seventy years later, we're still exploring what "intelligence" really means. Looking Ahead Generative AI Hackathon 10/14/2025 Students from all Bowdoin, Bates, and Colby will spend the day exploring how generative tools can be used creatively across disciplines. Learn more and register for the Hackathon. Alan Lightman's Visit 10/20/2025 Theoretical physicist and novelist Alan Lightman will visit campus for a student conversation and public lecture exploring the connections between science, art, and the human experience. Learn more about Alan Lightman’s visit. McKeen Center's What Matters Conversation on AI and Creativity TBD Hastings team members will participate in a student dinner and conversation focused on the topic of human creativity in the age of AI. AI Short Courses Mid-January 2026 We will offer a series of short courses on AI for faculty and academic staff. These sessions will provide a broad overview of AI, helping participants make informed decisions about if, and how, they might use AI in their research and teaching.