Welcome to the AI@Colby site, your dynamic and comprehensive resource for artificial intelligence at Colby College.
Developed through a collaboration among the Academic Technology Services, the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the Library, the Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Writing Department, this site supports the Colby community in exploring and using AI in human-centered and ethical ways.
Here, you'll find:
Institutional guidelines, available tools, and curated resources for AI.
Upcoming events and the latest AI news from across campus.
Colby College is committed to responsibly using and developing generative artificial intelligence tools. We believe that generative AI has the potential to revolutionize the way we live, work, and learn, and we are excited to use it in ways that benefit teaching, learning, and staff workflows. We are also aware of the risks that generative AI systems may cause. It is our goal to use and develop human-centered generative AI systems that result in fair, relevant, and meaningful learning experiences.
Troubleshooting, access issues, or information security: ITS Support Center or support@colby.edu
Academic setup, operational guidance, or consultation: Academic Technology Services or teched@colby.edu
Advanced academic or research-related support: Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence or davisai@colby.edu
Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to the branch of computer science focused on making intelligent machines. There is no single, simple definition of AI due to its wide range of capabilities. AI systems can learn from data, reason, make decisions, and have a perception and a form of language comprehension. AI systems leverage a broad range of computational techniques, including machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing, and computer vision.
A Synergistic Ecosystem
The combination of big data, ICT advancements, high-speed computing, and neural networks has created a synergistic ecosystem that drives AI. For example:
Big Data: Enables models to be trained with diverse and representative datasets.
ICT Infrastructure and High-Speed Computing: Facilitates real-time data exchange and processing across networks and reduces the time required for training AI models, enabling rapid experimentation and development.
Neural Networks: Enhance AI's ability to understand and replicate human-like intelligence.
Big Data
AI relies heavily on large volumes of data, often referred to as "big data," which serves as the foundation for training algorithms and improving their performance. The availability of vast, structured, and unstructured datasets, collected from sensors, websites, transactions, and social media, has significantly advanced AI. For instance, models like neural networks learn to recognize patterns and make predictions by analyzing this data.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
Rapid advancements in ICT and the development of high-performance or advanced computing have been crucial in enabling modern AI. ICT provides the infrastructure for collecting, transmitting, and storing massive datasets, while fast computers equipped with powerful GPUs and TPUs accelerate the computationally intensive training of AI models. Cloud computing further democratizes access to AI tools, allowing organizations of all sizes to deploy AI applications.
Neural Networks
Serving as the backbone of AI, neural networks – inspired by the structure and functioning of the human brain – are a key component of AI. They consist of layers of interconnected nodes (neurons) that process and transmit information. Deep learning, a subset of machine learning, uses deep neural networks with many layers to solve complex problems such as image recognition, natural language processing, and autonomous driving. These networks excel at identifying intricate patterns and relationships in data, making them highly effective for a wide range of applications.
Generative artificial intelligence (GAI) is a type of artificial intelligence that “generates” new content (like text, images, or music) based on patterns learned from vast amounts of training data. It uses algorithms to generate outputs that resemble the original data but are new and unique, often mimicking human creativity.
A Large Language Model (LLM) is an advanced type of artificial intelligence based on complex statistical models originally designed for machine transcription and translation. LLMs are “trained” on vast amounts of data to enable them to predict a probable sequence of words in response to a prompt and produce coherent, contextually-relevant responses.
LLMs and generative AI are closely related because LLMs are a specific type of generative AI. Essentially, LLMs are the language-focused subset of generative AI, utilizing large datasets to generate relevant and contextually appropriate text responses.
[DAVIS AI and ATS] Bots & Books: Exploring Innovations in AI Using Gemini and NotebookLM
Join the Fall 2025 FIT Fellowship: a one-semester program designed for all Colby instructors. This fellowship, sponsored by the Davis Institute of Artificial Intelligence in collaboration with the Academic Technology Services team, will provide hands-on experience with Gemini and NotebookLM—two Google AI tools now available to the entire Colby community. Learn more
CTL: Effective and Ethical Use of AI in the Classroom (Roundtable)
Join your colleagues to discuss approaches you are trying or curiosities you have to enhance your teaching with AI tools. Learn more
CTL: Trust in the Classroom in the Age of AI (Roundtable)
The advent of generative AI has created new concerns about our work with students. How do we develop and maintain a sense of trust with students when pressures for students to perform are so high and the use of AI for cognitive shortcuts is so easy? Join your colleagues to discuss this state of affairs, and move us all toward better practice and better connection with our students. Learn more
Two Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools – Google Gemini and NotebookLM – are available for all faculty, students, and staff using your colby.edu account. Learn more
David Watts, an innovation-driven tech leader, will join the College this summer to advance the interdisciplinary mission of AI at Colby. Learn more
We're frequently updating new content , and collaboration is always welcomed! If you have any questions, feedback, or corrections regarding the information provided, please contact Academic Technology Services at teched@colby.edu to get in touch.