How Should HBCUs Shape the Future of AI?
Be honest.
How many times have you used AI this week? Maybe you asked ChatGPT to explain a concept. Maybe Grammarly helped polish an email. Your phone probably used AI to organize your photos or suggest the quickest route home.
Whether we realize it or not, artificial intelligence has become part of everyday life. Now it's becoming part of life at HBCUs, too.
But here's what caught my attention: HBCUs aren't all responding the same way. Some are teaching AI, some are researching it. One university is even asking what it means to build the infrastructure that powers it.
All of these developments raise one fascinating question:
What role should HBCUs play in shaping the future of artificial intelligence?
Photo via Fisk.edu
Three Schools, Three Different Ideas
If you look at what's happening across HBCUs right now, one thing becomes clear: This is uncharted territory, and no one has all the answers.
Each university seems to be answering the AI question in its own way.
Take North Carolina Central University, for example.
This summer, NCCU became the first HBCU in the country to open a dedicated Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Research. Inside the new building are robotics labs, machine learning studios, AI literacy spaces, and something I didn't expect to see: an Ethics and Governance Classroom.
NCCU is doing more than just teaching students how to use AI; it's challenging them to think about the responsibility that comes with it.
At the ribbon cutting, Chancellor Dr. Karrie G. Dixon said, "Technology continues to move faster than trust."
Her statement gets at the heart of the conversation. AI isn't just changing what we can do; it's forcing us to think about what we should do.
Bowie State University is taking a different approach.
Rather than opening a research institute, Bowie is building a pipeline.
Beginning this fall, students can earn a Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence, preparing them for careers in machine learning, cybersecurity, healthcare, business, and government. The curriculum emphasizes technical skills, but it also asks students to think about the ethical and societal impact of the technology they're creating.
That balance shows Bowie's commitment to preparing students to work in AI while also preparing them to help shape the future of the technology.
Then there's Fisk University.
Its announcement sparked one of the biggest conversations.
As part of a nearly $1 billion campus transformation, Fisk has proposed building a 30-megawatt data center to support research and advanced computing.
If your first thought was, Wait...a data center? You're probably not alone.
The proposal immediately raised questions from neighbors and alumni about energy use, water consumption, environmental impact, and community involvement.
These are real and valid concerns. What's interesting, though, is Fisk's perspective.
Rather than dismissing those concerns, university leaders have chosen to engage them head-on. Their argument is that if AI infrastructure is going to be built somewhere, institutions grounded in education and public service should help demonstrate how it can be done responsibly.
Project manager Don Hardin put it this way:
"There's no way I'm going to be a part of something that doesn't try to respect the community."
Whether you agree with the proposal or not, Fisk is asking an important question.
Can innovation move forward without leaving communities behind?
Photo via BowieState.edu
So...Where Do We Go From Here?
What's interesting is that these three universities aren't all trying to solve the same problem.
- NCCU is asking, How do we teach AI responsibly?
- Bowie State is asking, How do we prepare students for careers in AI?
- Fisk is asking, How do we build AI responsibly?
However, all of these questions are part of a larger conversation.
The thing that stood out to me most while researching this topic is that HBCUs aren't really debating whether AI belongs in higher education anymore. In many ways, they've already answered that question.
According to a 2025 report from Ellucian, UNCF, and Huston-Tillotson University, 98% of HBCU students and 96% of faculty have already used AI tools. Students say AI is helping them learn, while faculty are using it to strengthen teaching and prepare graduates for an evolving workforce.
The report also highlights real challenges. Students cited affordability and access to reliable internet as barriers, while faculty and administrators raised concerns about privacy, bias, and the need for more training.
Infographic via Ellucian AI Survey, October 2025
Why Now?
If it feels like HBCUs are talking about AI all at once, that's because they are. Artificial intelligence is changing the skills employers are looking for, creating new career paths, and reshaping industries from healthcare and finance to education and entertainment. Colleges across the country are racing to prepare students for that reality, and HBCUs are making sure they're part of the conversation.
That's reflected in the data.
A 2025 report from Ellucian, UNCF, and Huston-Tillotson University found that 98% of HBCU students and 96% of faculty have already used AI tools. Students say AI is helping them learn, while faculty see opportunities to strengthen teaching and better prepare graduates for an evolving workforce.
The report also makes something else clear: Students are just as committed to learning about AI as they are to using it. Many are asking for formal coursework, certifications, and hands-on experience that will prepare them for careers where AI is becoming part of everyday work.
Photo via Instagram @nccueagle
Looking Ahead
HBCUs have a strong legacy of preparing students to lead through change. The evolution of AI is simply another opportunity to do just that.
Whether it's campuses investing in research, launching new degree programs, or building strategies around infrastructure and ethics, HBCUs are rising to the occasion and asking the hard questions.
Fisk University, Bowie State, and North Carolina Central University may have approaches that look different, but they're all wrestling with the same challenge:
How do we embrace new technology without losing sight of the people it's supposed to serve?
HBCUs have never been afraid to wrestle with big questions. They have long prepared leaders to meet the challenges of their time with curiosity, courage, and purpose.
Artificial intelligence is simply the next chapter.
Love and Leggings,
Bibi
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bibi Mama is a first generation Beninese-American actress born and raised in Mansfield, CT. Growing up she watched her father, an English professor and author, continue the Yoruba oral tradition through storytelling, which inspired her. She earned her B.F.A. from Howard University and recently finished her MFA at the Old Globe/University of San Diego MFA Graduate Acting Program.