The Innovation in AI Teaching Award recognizes UGA faculty whose exceptional contributions to the integration of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning have had a profound impact on a course, program, the university, or the larger academic community. This award, presented by the Office of Instruction, aims to celebrate outstanding faculty who have demonstrated creativity and innovation in leveraging AI technologies to enhance student learning outcomes and academic success.
Kimberly Lyle
Lamar Dodd School of Art
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Kimberly Lyle (Submitted photo)
Kimberly Lyle has received the Innovation in AI Teaching Award for her work in ARST4915/6915: Natural Intelligence as a part of the Thematic Inquiry series. The course explores the intersection of creative practice, artificial intelligence and the natural world, engaging students in a critical and balanced exploration of generative AI by combining hands-on experimentation with ethical inquiry and interdisciplinary learning.
Through playful misuse of AI tools, students revealed the biases and limitations of AI, such as the anthropocentric design of AI voice models that struggled to process bird songs. They also trained custom image generators to address gaps in AI databases, improving representations of endangered species through coding and fine-tuning techniques and creating output that simulates nonhuman visual perspectives (such as a snail’s near-sighted, black-and-white vision).
The curriculum emphasized AI’s role as a collaborator rather than a replacement in artistic workflows, guiding students through projects that transformed hand-drawn ecological concepts into refined 3D models. The students also participated in experiential learning at UGArden, where they observed plant and animal systems and conversed with resident experts, further informing their AI-driven projects. The course empowered students to use AI critically and effectively while preparing them for innovative careers and research that addresses real-world challenges.
