From Support Bot to Thought Partner: Rethinking AI in Public Policy Education
How Minh Anh Trinh built a framework to make AI an ethical, critical, and empowering classroom ally
Minh Trinh is an Instructional Designer at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, working with faculty to design ethical, critical, and student-centered AI-integrated curricula across disciplines. In this interview, Trinh discusses how AI is being used in AI-integrated public policy curriculum redesign.
Source note: This is an edited interview adapted from a narrated video submitted to OpenAI.
Intro
When AI tools first entered the higher education landscape, Minh Anh Trinh saw them as time-savers for administrative tasks. But as an instructional designer at the University of Southern California’s Sol Price School of Public Policy, Minh quickly realized that the real opportunity wasn’t just efficiency—it was transformation. In this interview, Minh walks us through the journey from using AI as a support bot to building a rigorous, student-centered framework where AI becomes a thought partner in teaching, learning, and assessment. The result: students and faculty who are not only more efficient, but also more critical, creative, and ethical in their engagement with technology.
Q: Minh, you started using AI for administrative support. What did that look like, and when did you realize the potential was much bigger?
Trinh: When custom GPTs first arrived, our initial use was very pragmatic: saving time on repetitive pain points. For example, we built the USC Price Brand Book, a custom AI trained on our school’s core content and website. Instead of searching through endless documents, staff could ask, “Give me the paragraph about why the Price School is a leader in public policy,” and get an instant, brand-aligned answer. For faculty, we created the Price Brightspace Assistant to help them transition between learning management systems, and a Rubric Wizard chatbot to generate comprehensive grading rubrics. These tools saved countless hours and reduced anxiety, but we quickly saw that AI could do much more than just lighten administrative loads.
Q: What was the turning point for integrating AI directly into the classroom?
Trinh: The real shift came when we asked: How can we use AI to deepen—not dilute—learning? Faculty were concerned about cheating and over-reliance, so we needed a framework that kept humans in the loop. We moved beyond chatbots to design assignments where AI would enhance critical thinking, not replace it. This meant developing a structure that fostered AI as a thought partner—something that could challenge students, not just serve up answers.
Q: Can you walk us through the core principles of your framework?
Trinh: Absolutely. The first is AI literacy: students need to understand how AI works, when and why to use it, and how to protect their privacy. We teach them to choose the right tools, recognize strengths and limits, and ask better questions. The second is logical evaluation. Students must analyze AI output for bias, inaccuracies, and logical flaws—they never just accept what the AI gives them. They synthesize, critique, and add their own insights. The third is transparent and ethical use. Students are responsible for both their content and their use of AI. We require short AI usage reflections, where they explain how they used the tools and how it shaped their thinking. This turns citation into a moment of metacognition.
Q: How do you scaffold these principles across different courses and assignments?
Trinh: We created a flexible spectrum of AI tasks, from basic support to advanced critical work. In introductory classes, students might use AI to summarize readings or clarify concepts, but they must always check for accuracy and bias. As they progress, they use AI for research assistance, fact-checking every source and justifying their choices. In more advanced courses, students write drafts and use custom mentor chatbots that ask guiding questions rather than rewriting their work. We also use AI as simulators or debate partners, building role-play scenarios for high-stakes skills. At the highest level, students manage AI-generated drafts, revising and grading based on their own instructions. Faculty can mix and match these approaches to fit their teaching goals.
Q: What impact have you seen from this approach, both for students and faculty?
Trinh: The transformation has been profound. Students are more critical and confident—they’re not passive users but informed skeptics who engage deeply with material. They’re better prepared for a future where AI is a constant companion. Faculty save hours on administrative work and spend more time mentoring. For staff, tools like the USC Price Brand Book keep our messaging consistent and free up time for strategy and quality. Most importantly, we’ve learned that the real power of AI in education is not about faster answers, but about asking better questions and reflecting on our own thinking.
Q: What advice would you give to educators just starting to integrate AI?
Trinh: Start with pedagogy, not technology. You don’t have to be an AI expert—co-learn with your students, because AI is evolving and we’re all learners. Use AI only when it advances your learning goals. Design frameworks that build critical thinking and skills progressively, and always keep the human learner at the center. When AI handles the routine, it frees teachers and students to do what only humans can: question, create, and connect. The goal is to make learning more human, not less.
What Stands Out
Core idea: Minh’s framework moves AI from a mere time-saving tool to an active thought partner, challenging students to think more deeply and critically.
Classroom design: Assignments are scaffolded across a spectrum, from basic AI support to advanced critical engagement, always requiring students to verify, critique, and reflect.
Student impact: Students become informed skeptics and confident users, developing skills to manage, question, and ethically leverage AI—preparing them for an AI-rich future.
Transferable lesson: Start with learning goals, not technology. Keep humans in the loop, and use AI to empower deeper questioning, creativity, and connection.
Bio
Minh Trinh is an Instructional Designer at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, working with faculty to design ethical, critical, and student-centered AI-integrated curricula across disciplines.
https://priceschool.usc.edu/price-blog/usc-price-embraces-ai-in-higher-education/