Principle 01
Equity-minded
Equity is the first lens, not the last review. We ask who benefits, who is left out, and what we are doing about it — before adoption, not after.
What we do
- Test every shortlisted AI tool against linguistic and cultural accessibility — including parity in non-English languages our students speak.
- Surface the cost question early. Free and freemium options are evaluated alongside paid tools so financial barriers don't determine access.
- Center first-generation, EOPS, AB540, and adult learners in pilots — not as edge cases, but as the design baseline.
- Audit chatbot and advising transcripts on a recurring schedule for deficit framing or biased recommendations.
What we avoid
- Tools whose 'free' tier is so limited it functions as a paywall against under-resourced students.
- Models that demonstrably underperform on regional accents, names, or contexts.
- Pilots that count adoption without measuring outcomes for the students most at risk.