Fox News featured Cornerstone University's approach to artificial intelligence in higher education on July 29, 2026. The story detailed how the Christian university has adopted a centralized, university-wide AI strategy that sets it apart from institutions that either ban the technology or leave decisions to individual professors.
A unified AI strategy guided by outside experts
President Gerson Moreno-Riaño told Fox News that while some universities have completely restricted AI and others leave decisions to individual faculty, Cornerstone chose a focused path. A key step was forming the President's Artificial Intelligence Advisory Board to shape a long-term strategy. "We want to lead. We want to be ahead of other institutions, but we need the insight of experts in the marketplace right now that can give us guidance, direction and insight to do this and to do it well," he said.
Preparing faculty, not just teaching students to use AI
Beyond the advisory board, Cornerstone is training faculty to integrate AI thoughtfully into teaching and learning. The university also launched an Applied Artificial Intelligence Certificate to expand opportunities for students and working professionals. The goal, President Moreno-Riaño said, is not simply to teach students how to use AI tools. It is to equip faculty to help students develop the wisdom and judgment that technology cannot provide.
"The dilemma with AI is it gives you the right answer but robs you from the struggle," he said. The president believes that wisdom is forged through the struggle of learning-asking questions, solving problems, making mistakes and developing sound judgment-not by receiving instant answers.
Producing graduates who can't be replaced
Rather than steering students toward supposedly "AI-proof" careers, the university focuses on developing graduates whose character, creativity and wisdom make them indispensable. "I don't think there's a safe career or a safe diploma, a safe major. I think every field will be significantly transformed by this. The question we should be asking is that we should think about producing graduates that can't be replaced," President Moreno-Riaño said.
At the heart of the approach is a conviction that technology should never diminish the value of the people who use it. He added that Christianity's view of humans as "image bearers of God" grounds this perspective, and that America's founders understood the same principle.
Why this matters for education professionals
Cornerstone's strategy signals a shift in how institutions are wrestling with AI-not just as a tool for efficiency, but as a force that demands deeper attention to character formation and judgment. For educators, the takeaway is clear: AI literacy must be paired with the kind of human development that machines cannot replicate. Practical steps might include exploring professional development that blends technical skills with ethical reasoning. Resources like AI for Education offer courses designed to help teachers integrate AI thoughtfully while maintaining a focus on student development.
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