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Indiana University Kelley School of Business Releases AI Playbook to Guide Faculty and Staff
The Kelley School of Business at Indiana University Bloomington announced the release of its AI Playbook in July 2025. The document is intended to help the school’s roughly 400 faculty members, 400 staff and 13,000 students navigate the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in teaching, research, and service.
The playbook was created by a small team led by Dean Patrick Hopkins, assistant dean of graduate education Sarah Wanger and adviser to the dean for technology and innovation Brad Wheeler. It replaces an earlier, more rigid policy that the school found too slow for the pace of AI development. The new framework is lean, values‑based, and designed to be updated quarterly.
The document is organized around five principles: 1. AI transparency builds trust 2. Authentically Kelley purpose 3. AI supports, but doesn’t substitute 4. We explore AI together 5. We model AI discernment
These principles are meant to align AI use with the school’s existing culture and to encourage experimentation rather than immediate mastery.
To support the playbook, Kelley launched a series of professional‑development activities. Faculty and staff were invited to work‑groups, AI learning labs, book clubs, peer‑sharing sessions and tactical workshops that tie AI tools to everyday responsibilities. A seven‑hour workshop on AI course development drew 120 instructors, a number that exceeds the school’s normal faculty‑development attendance. The school also plans an AI innovation showcase and conference, citing the widespread experimentation as a foundation.
The playbook’s release follows a broader trend in higher education, where institutions are grappling with how to integrate AI responsibly. According to the school’s communications, the playbook is reinforced through multiple channels—leadership messages, newsletters, and informal communities—rather than being a standalone policy.
Key lessons highlighted by Kelley’s approach include: • Avoid seeking consensus on every stakeholder; instead, take a clear stance, gather feedback and iterate. • Target communication to the group most open to learning and experimentation, rather than trying to convince the resistant. • Emphasize continuous learning and curiosity; the playbook is revised quarterly to reflect new technology and feedback. • Anchor AI strategies around institutional values, not the technology itself. • Leadership permission is essential; the dean’s explicit support allowed faculty and staff to move quickly.
The school’s strategy illustrates how higher‑education communicators can act as strategic advisers, helping leaders frame AI initiatives with clarity and adaptability.
As of now, the Kelley AI Playbook is publicly available on the school’s website. The playbook’s quarterly revisions are scheduled for October 2025, and the upcoming showcase is slated for early 2026. The school has not announced additional funding or partnerships related to the playbook.
The initiative reflects a growing recognition that AI adoption in universities requires a flexible, values‑driven framework that can keep pace with rapid technological change. Whether other institutions will adopt a similar model remains to be seen, but Kelley’s experience offers a concrete example of how a business school can embed AI into its culture.
The playbook was created by a small team led by Dean Patrick Hopkins, assistant dean of graduate education Sarah Wanger and adviser to the dean for technology and innovation Brad Wheeler. It replaces an earlier, more rigid policy that the school found too slow for the pace of AI development. The new framework is lean, values‑based, and designed to be updated quarterly.
The document is organized around five principles: 1. AI transparency builds trust 2. Authentically Kelley purpose 3. AI supports, but doesn’t substitute 4. We explore AI together 5. We model AI discernment
These principles are meant to align AI use with the school’s existing culture and to encourage experimentation rather than immediate mastery.
To support the playbook, Kelley launched a series of professional‑development activities. Faculty and staff were invited to work‑groups, AI learning labs, book clubs, peer‑sharing sessions and tactical workshops that tie AI tools to everyday responsibilities. A seven‑hour workshop on AI course development drew 120 instructors, a number that exceeds the school’s normal faculty‑development attendance. The school also plans an AI innovation showcase and conference, citing the widespread experimentation as a foundation.
The playbook’s release follows a broader trend in higher education, where institutions are grappling with how to integrate AI responsibly. According to the school’s communications, the playbook is reinforced through multiple channels—leadership messages, newsletters, and informal communities—rather than being a standalone policy.
Key lessons highlighted by Kelley’s approach include: • Avoid seeking consensus on every stakeholder; instead, take a clear stance, gather feedback and iterate. • Target communication to the group most open to learning and experimentation, rather than trying to convince the resistant. • Emphasize continuous learning and curiosity; the playbook is revised quarterly to reflect new technology and feedback. • Anchor AI strategies around institutional values, not the technology itself. • Leadership permission is essential; the dean’s explicit support allowed faculty and staff to move quickly.
The school’s strategy illustrates how higher‑education communicators can act as strategic advisers, helping leaders frame AI initiatives with clarity and adaptability.
As of now, the Kelley AI Playbook is publicly available on the school’s website. The playbook’s quarterly revisions are scheduled for October 2025, and the upcoming showcase is slated for early 2026. The school has not announced additional funding or partnerships related to the playbook.
The initiative reflects a growing recognition that AI adoption in universities requires a flexible, values‑driven framework that can keep pace with rapid technological change. Whether other institutions will adopt a similar model remains to be seen, but Kelley’s experience offers a concrete example of how a business school can embed AI into its culture.
