Comment: “How do we protect our resources without falling behind?”
“Do you have any thoughts or suggestions on how we use AI at AU?” asked Dean Anne-Mette Hvas in her latest “From the Dean’s Desk” column. Liv Felter Jensen, an administrative consultant at the Department of Biomedicine, did. Here is her comment.
Do you have a view on the use of AI at AU?
If you have any perspectives or experiences that you think the dean should consider in this work forward, please email: ai-feedback@au.dk
On Thursday 22 October 2026, we published the Dean’s column on the work to develop common guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) across Aarhus University.
Read or revisit the Dean’s column: “AI at AU – and how we use it”.
Comment from administrative consultant Liv Felter Jensen:
It is encouraging to hear that management is working towards a common approach to the use of AI in our workplace.
In my group of colleagues (the secretariat at the Department of Biomedicine), as in many other teams, AI is a frequent topic of discussion. It raises a number of dilemmas, including on a personal level.
On the one hand, I am curious about and open to the opportunities AI offers. I am also aware of the need to keep up with developments so that I do not risk falling behind and can continue to do my job in the future if AI becomes an integral part of my workflows.
On the other hand, I am very hesitant to use AI for ethical reasons. Given the way data centres are currently being developed and the impact they can have on, for example, our drinking water resources and local environments, I feel uneasy about using AI.
At AU, we are encouraged to consider the environmental impact of our work in other areas too – switching off our monitors, travelling less and choosing more environmentally friendly ways of travelling, for example. Against this backdrop, it is difficult to justify using such an energy-intensive technology in my work.
I would therefore very much welcome a common approach that helps us strike a balance between protecting our shared resources and keeping pace with developments in AI-enabled workflows, without having to worry about falling behind.
Response from Dean Anne-Mette Hvas:
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Liv. You have highlighted one of the major dilemmas surrounding the use of AI.
Together with Dean Thomas Pallesen from Aarhus BSS, I have been appointed project owner for the development of a common framework and guidelines for the use of AI across AU. I will make sure that the balance you are calling for is taken into account in this work.