The University of Notre Dame has received a $50.8 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to expand a national effort focused on ethics and artificial intelligence.
The funding will support the DELTA Network, a faith-based ethical framework designed to help educators, faith leaders, technologists and the public navigate how artificial intelligence is developed and used. The grant is the largest Notre Dame has ever received from a private foundation, according to the university.
DELTA, an acronym that stands for Dignity, Embodiment, Love, Transcendence and Agency, was launched earlier this fall at Notre Dame’s inaugural Summit on AI, Faith and Human Flourishing. University leaders say the framework is intended to complement existing discussions around AI safety by encouraging deeper reflection on how the technology affects human life and society.
In a September interview, Meghan Sullivan, director of Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good, said many current conversations about artificial intelligence focus on baseline concerns, while leaving broader ethical questions unresolved.
“Much of the discussion around AI ethics right now hovers around what we call the ethical floor, just the rock-bottom basic principles about building AI that’s safe, explainable and fair,” Sullivan said.
Notre Dame says the new funding will support interdisciplinary communities of practice focused on education, pastoral ministry and public engagement, as well as programs aimed at helping young adults engage ethical questions related to AI. The initiative will also build on existing partnerships, including Notre Dame’s collaboration with IBM through the Notre Dame–IBM Technology Ethics Lab.
Lilly Endowment, an Indianapolis-based private foundation, supports initiatives in community development, education and religion, with a particular focus on strengthening religious life in the United States.
