Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a daily presence in academia, presenting new challenges for faculty, students, and researchers. The Polytechnic University of Viana do Castelo (UNIPVC) has joined a national network aimed at promoting the ethical, responsible, and sustainable use of AI in higher education. The DEFIA Portugal Network, part of the international Digital Education for Impact Alliance (DEFIA), was officially launched on October 15th in Coimbra, with the goal of fostering the sharing of best practices, the development of joint guidelines, and collaboration among higher education institutions.
The increasing adoption of AI is transforming teaching, learning, research, and knowledge production. Higher education institutions face the challenge of integrating these new technological tools while upholding principles such as transparency, responsibility, and critical thinking. In this context, the international conference “Appropriate Guardrails for AGI: The Crucial Role of Universities” took place, marking the official launch of the DEFIA Portugal Network. UNIPVC was represented by the Pro-Rector for Information Systems, Sara Paiva, at a meeting that brought together experts to discuss the role of higher education in AI governance.
The new network, coordinated by the University of Coimbra, aims to involve participating institutions in defining principles and creating joint responses to the challenges of digital transformation. UNIPVC already provides its academic community with tools such as the “Generative AI Usage Guides for Faculty and Students,” the “Artificial Intelligence Framework at UNIPVC,” and the “AI Usage Declaration,” with versions tailored for different audiences.
These documents gain relevance in light of a national diagnosis from April of this year, which revealed that only 14.7% of surveyed higher education institutions had AI policies in practice. UNIPVC thus seeks to support the academic community in using these technologies, which are advancing faster than institutional policies are being defined, and to share experiences with other institutions, one of the objectives of the DEFIA Portugal Network.
The Portuguese network will promote thematic working groups to develop recommendations and resources, focusing on strengthening AI literacy, pedagogical innovation, ethical use of digital technologies, and the link between digital transformation and sustainability. The Portuguese National Statement was also presented, a collective commitment to the responsible development and use of AI and digital technologies, aligned with human dignity, democratic values, sustainability, and the common good.
The DEFIA, founded by the Global Enabling Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), the University of Coimbra, and Huanghe Science and Technology University (China), brings together partners from over 18 countries. Its mission encompasses digital inclusion, lifelong learning, digital citizenship, emerging technologies, and education for sustainable development.
