Harte Center to Debut Prompting, Learning and Artificial Intelligence Lab The space opens Jan. 27 and will be dedicated to exploration and experimentation with generative AI tools.

By Brian Laubscher
January 17, 2025

The Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning at Washington and Lee University is set to debut a new learning space designed to encourage the exploration and experimentation of emerging AI technologies under expert guidance.

Dubbed the “Prompting, Learning and Artificial Intelligence Lab,” or PLAI for short, this dedicated computing space within the Harte Center is expected to open on Jan. 27 and will provide access to various AI tools for text generation, image creation and research assistance. The PLAI Lab is also supported by GenTech, W&L’s student technology club, and is staffed by campus AI experts who help visitors navigate the technology.

“The world of artificial intelligence is rapidly changing, and not many people have had experiences utilizing the technology,” said JT Torres, director of the Harte Center. “We hope to quell some of those fears and concerns by providing a risk-free introduction to AI platforms and further instruction of their capabilities.”

All members of the W&L community are welcome, from faculty members exploring AI applications in teaching to students learning about the technology’s capabilities and limitations. Researchers can also use the space to investigate how AI might assist their projects.

Staff members will provide guidance on effective AI-prompting strategies and help visitors address questions about AI implementation and use. The PLAI Lab aims to provide a low-stakes environment where the university community can develop AI literacy skills while discovering new tools and techniques in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.

Located in room 130 of Leyburn Library’s lower level 1, the PLAI Lab will not be staffed continuously but rather can be booked in advance in either 30- or 60-minute sessions. The lab will also feature an arcade-style concept showroom, where curious campus community members can sample the available tools and platforms.

“Eventually, we may publish some staffed hours throughout the academic day, but the goal is to begin with small group collaborations through the pre-booked sessions,” said Torres. “We want to emphasize that the goal isn’t just to use AI, but to make it a useful engagement for the users and our staff. We want to learn what people will use AI to accomplish, what the bottlenecks are and how we can work to support them in these emerging tools.”

As part of its opening, the PLAI Lab will also offer a film series titled “Films with Harte,” exploring the emotional and ethical complexities of artificial intelligence. The free screenings held in Stackhouse Theater will be followed by discussions reflecting on these narratives and their moral implications. The series begins at 2 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31 with the film “Her” and continues at 2:30 p.m. on Friday, March 7 with a screening of “After Yang.” Reservations are not required.

“We can certainly learn how to be better teachers by reading academic articles about the science of learning of the scholarship of teaching and learning. But teaching is also a performance art, and, therefore, we can learn what it means to relate to and support other humans through film,” said Torres. “The big questions being asked now are: ‘What do we do in a world where AI can replicate intellectual and social activities?,’ ‘How do we relate to one another?’ and ‘How do we teach and learn in a world where the line between human and artificial intelligence is increasingly blurred?’ We hope that both of these films can inspire explorations into these questions, in addition to many others.”

Want to know more about the AI platforms offered through the PLAI Lab and the campus experts who can unlock their potential to support your needs? Contact Torres at jtorres@wlu.edu or Ext. 4829.