Artificial intelligence is changing how we live, work and think. In Associate Research Professor Charles Harry’s classes, it is also reshaping how students learn to solve policy challenges, preparing them to navigate a world where technology and governance are increasingly intertwined. For Harry, AI provides an opportunity for students to think harder, ask better questions and design smarter solutions.
As director of the Center for Governance of Technology and Systems at the School of Public Policy, which studies how people, technology and policy intersect, Harry is not worried about AI replacing critical thinking. He is using it to raise the bar, helping students approach innovation with technical curiosity and ethical grounding.
“In my data analysis course, I encourage students to use AI to assist in their code writing,” shared Harry. “I can give them harder multi-step problems to work through. Instead of simple and unrealistic problems, I give them real-world issues they have to contend with. AI is a tool, not a substitute.”
That mindset has turned Harry’s cybersecurity policy courses into hands-on spaces where students learn to think critically and solve nuanced problems. He uses tools like ChatGPT and custom-built simulation platforms to help students navigate the same complex systems policymakers face every day.
Harry’s approach centers on participation and problem-solving. “If students can learn to think of problems as an interconnected set of parts that work together, then they can use AI tools as an assistant to pull the problem apart and analyze it from multiple angles,” he explained. “When you think about it, it’s no different than a stats package. … In the 1950s, they may have seen STATA or R as cheating, but those same programs opened up a huge opportunity to expand our analytical abilities.”
Cheating with AI is cheating the investment in themselves.Charles Harry
Harry frames discussions of AI ethics around integrity and responsibility, reminding students that how they use AI reflects the kind of thinkers and professionals they are becoming. “Cheating with AI is cheating the investment in themselves,” said Harry. “A college degree is just a signal to the workforce that you have higher order reasoning skills. Grades are a poor measure of how much you have grown.”
Harry’s perspective in the classroom is shaped by his research, which examines how cyberattacks move through complex systems and how those dynamics shape real-world policy decisions. He sees AI as a tool for discovery, helping students visualize those relationships and think creatively about how to address them.
Even as technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, Harry remains focused on its potential, not its pitfalls. “Buckle up,” he said. “It will be bumpy. There is so much promise with the technology, but we have to reimagine how we apply it in the classroom.” Harry’s work captures the spirit of the School’s forward-looking approach to technology, using AI not just to innovate, but to strengthen communities and serve the public good.
