Colby College
ME · AI Readiness #44 of 227
AIREDEX™ Score: 8.4 /10
Colby College is home to the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the first formalized AI institute at a liberal arts college in the country, giving undergraduates direct access to a dedicated AI platform and a formal AI concentration within the CS major.
Colby students can access Mule Chat, a college-built tool that provides free use of GPT-4o, Gemini, Claude, and LLaMA, alongside a monthly AI workshop series, the Interdisciplinary Summer Bridges Program, and the SureStart summer boot camp. The Davis Institute anchors a $20M NSF ARIA consortium alongside Brown University, Google, and Capital One, signaling serious external investment in AI at Colby's. There is no standalone AI minor or certificate for students outside the CS major, something several peer liberal arts colleges are beginning to offer.
Pillar grades
- Commitment: B+
- Curriculum: B-
- Partnerships: A+
- Research: A+
A(I)ttitude™: leading edge
Selected Highlights
- Davis Institute for AI is the first named AI institute at a liberal arts college, founded 2021, with named director David Watts (since Aug 2025), active programming including ARIA/NSF grant, Summer Bridges, and Mule Chat.
- AI@Colby cross-campus coordination portal developed collaboratively by Academic Technology Services, Davis Institute, Library, Center for Teaching and Learning, and Writing Department; Colby is a named participant in the NSF ARIA consortium.
- David Watts holds the title Director of the Davis Institute for Artificial Intelligence with explicit policy and curriculum scope across the institution.
- Multiple published AI governance documents including Generative AI Working Paper, Teach with AI site, General Counsel AI guidance (Aug 2025), and Provost-level guidance covering goals, governance, ethical guidelines, and named programs.
- Formal CS major with AI Concentration listed in course catalog; six new AI-focused faculty hired across disciplines at launch.