By Janelle Sears<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the last four years, accessible artificial intelligence tools and chatbots have taken the world of higher education by storm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the midst of the AI boom, Historically Black Colleges and Universities(HBCUs) are navigating how to approach the current technological climate. For some, it has created an opportunity for advancement and expansion. For others, it has created a rift between administration, the students, and the community. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rated as the number one HBCU for the last 19 years, Spelman College named its 12th university president, Ayanna Howard, on June 5, 2026. Howard is regarded as a pioneer in artificial intelligence and a renowned roboticist, marking a bold choice for the liberal arts college. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Howard expanded on Spelman’s uniqueness as a liberal arts school while emphasizing the focus needed to be responsible for the impacts of artificial intelligence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne of the pieces we\u2019re also missing is that a lot of the individuals developing technology that are deciding how it’s used are not looking like us. So we actually have the responsibility to think about it responsibly so that we\u2019re in the rooms where it happens,\u201d Howard said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Howard has a vision to lead the college in a direction that creates the standard of how Black women navigate a rapidly changing world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat we do here at Spelman can set a stage and a standard for the rest of the world,\u201d Howard said. \u201cI want to be able to say that we not just matter for Spelmanites and for the women that come here, but we matter to the world because we have addressed all of these issues, the attack on Black women, the changes in AI, the global issues, and we provide a blueprint for everyone else to follow.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
While Spelman is in the early stages of adopting this technology, schools like Morgan State University and Fisk University have taken strides toward embracing it. For Morgan State, it has resulted in a new Bachelor of Science degree in artificial intelligence and the Morgan State TechFest. On the other end of the spectrum is Fisk University, which is dealing with significant backlash from students, alumni, and community members. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On May 14, 2026 Fisk University unveiled a $900 million expansion plan named \u201cQuantum Leap\u201d, including a proposed 100,000 square foot \u201cInnovation & Technology Center\u201d with 70,000 of those square feet planned to be used as a data center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among the slew of opposers is Rep. Justin Jones, a graduate of Fisk University. Jones has mobilized students and community members to fight the building of the data center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf this project of AI data centers is not good for a zoo, then it\u2019s not good to build at an HBCU,\u201d Jones said in a June 10 press conference held outside Fisk University. The representative refers to a previously proposed Nashville data center near the local zoo that was repealed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With enrollment rates at HBCUs steadily climbing, they have found themselves in a unique position regarding approach and adoption. In an even more unique position are HBCU journalism and mass communications programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Students and faculty need to figure out how to use this new technology responsibly in an ever-changing career field and profession that is heralded for the human ability to communicate and report the truth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou gotta be trained on it. A lot of times people are afraid of the misuse of AI,\u201d said Tramon Lucas, Comms and External Relations Manager at The Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the \u201cThe Role of HBCU Student Media in the South\u201d panel during this year\u2019s NABJ Conference, Dean Mira Lowe at the School of Journalism and Graphic Communication at Florida A&M University suggested that students need to pave their own approach to AI adoption and regulations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat\u2019s critical as the university and the college comes up with their own right overall AI policies for the university,\u201d Lowe said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"