AI Unleashed: Perils, Potential, and a Call to Lead the Way
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As a non-profit association that strives to “inspire the transformation of higher education in service to a greater good,” EDUCAUSE is deeply interested in the potential of emerging AI technologies to raise concerns and offer hope for the future of higher education. In his presentation, EDUCAUSE president John O’Brien will share EDUCAUSE research insights and highlight the potential good and cautionary peril related to the dramatically rapid emergence of artificial intelligence while also pointing to examples of colleges and universities using AI effectively in these earliest years of a multi-year phenomenon. Ultimately, he argues that, in these extraordinary times, higher education should take on a leadership role in guiding the world through the transformative journey, ensuring that the remarkable advancements in technology are harnessed for the greater good while navigating the potential pitfalls with care.
- Learning outcomes:
- Express an up-to-date summary of the current state of AI, especially the advances in generative AI in late 2022 through 2024
- Convey several critical areas of concern related to the use of AI in the current hype-dominated environment, including privacy, security, and ethical lapses in the development and use of AI-powered products.
- Provide examples of promising uses of AI by colleges and universities in detail.
- Articulate several concrete steps that could be taken related to the appropriate use of AI technologies.
John O’Brien, Ph.D
President and CEO
EDUCAUSE
John O’Brien serves as the president and CEO of EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit organization seeking to inspire the transformation of higher education in service to a greater good. EDUCAUSE serves over 2,000 member colleges, universities, and organizations from 41 countries who themselves collectively serve over 14 million students.
He speaks and writes on a variety of topics related to higher education, technology, and the crucial intersection where the two meet. Throughout his career in higher education, John has served as an academic, technology, and institutional leader. He was a faculty leader in instructional technology, a statewide IT project leader, and associate vice chancellor/deputy CIO at the system level. He has been a college provost and president in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, the fourth largest higher education system in the United States. Immediately prior to his appointment at EDUCAUSE, he served as the system’s senior vice chancellor of academic and student affairs.
John holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Augustana University, a master’s degree in Anglo-Irish Literature from Trinity College Dublin, and a doctorate in English from the University of Minnesota.
