Columbia's AI Solution?

From The Verge: Can AI help “smooth over” discussion on abortion, racism, immigration, or Israel-Palestine? Columbia University sure hopes so. The Verge has learned that the university recently began testing Sway, an AI debate program currently in beta. Developed by two researchers with backgrounds in philosophy and psychology, Sway matches up students with opposing views to chat one-on-one about hot-button issues and “facilitates better discussions between them,” according to the tool’s website. Nicholas DiBella, a postdoctoral scholar at Carnegie Mellon University who helped develop Sway, told The Verge that about 3,000 students from more than 30 colleges and universities have used the tool.

One of those may soon be Columbia. News of the potential partnership comes after more than two years of escalating tensions at Columbia between students, administrators, and the federal government. The university has spent years at the center of controversy after controversy: expulsions of pro-Palestinian student protesters, a string of police raids, and demands from the federal government.

People at Columbia’s Teachers College are testing Sway in order to potentially integrate it into the conflict resolution curriculum and “bridge-building initiatives at Columbia,” DiBella said. He said there’s also been interest from other teams at Columbia in using Sway for the fall 2026 semester and onward. Simon Cullen, the other developer behind Sway and a visiting research professor of civil discourse and AI at UNC-Chapel Hill, told The Verge that the company is also in touch with Columbia University Life.

Sway places an “AI Guide” in every chat that “asks tough questions to improve student reasoning.” The tool also “suggests a rephrasing” for language it deems disrespectful. One example debate topic laid out in Sway’s intro video: whether or not the US “should prioritize Palestinian rights and stop sending weapons to Israel.”  ...

The potential Sway partnership is not the only way Columbia is reportedly using tech to screen or shape students’ convictions. The university is also reportedly using Schoolhouse Dialogues, a tool offered by Sal Khan of Khan Academy’s nonprofit, to pair high school students with opposite viewpoints on controversial topics, then rank each other’s “civility” — and Columbia could use that feedback in its admissions decisions...

Full story at https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/770510/columbia-university-sway-ai-to-cool-off-student-tensions-israel-palestine-protests.

Note: A Sway introduction video is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJ4qlIZoZfM or click on the link below:

A sample Sway debate is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWlSi7nN8s4 or click on the link below: