University leaders, educators convene at UF summit to shape the future of AI in higher education

University leaders, faculty, researchers and experts from the AI and tech industry from across the globe met in Orlando last week to share and learn best practices for integrating artificial intelligence into their work. 

The AI2 Summit, hosted by the University of Florida Artificial Intelligence Academic Initiative Center, brought 450 participants from 40 states and six countries to explore AI fundamentals, ethics, and applications in academia. Over half were university leaders.With more than 200 AI courses taken by 12,000 students annually, UF was the first university in the country to integrate AI across its entire curriculum in 2020, with some other universities following suit in recent years. The university has since elevated its leadership role in AI education, holding conferences and summits, partnering with private industry and training educators from all levels on how to incorporate AI into their classrooms.

“In talking to other university leaders, I heard many times that they simply didn’t know where to start when thinking about an AI strategy for their institution,” said David L. Reed, Ph.D., UF associate provost and director of UF’s AI Academic Initiative Center, known as the AI2. “We knew that a conference focused on actionable steps would be beneficial to many.”

Along with expert-led, hands-on sessions and workshops showcasing practical tools and techniques, the summit featured keynote addresses and panel discussions with leaders from the AI and computing industry, including representatives from IBM, Mark III Systems and NVIDIA.
 
“The AI initiative is successful at UF because its administration supports the needs of its end users — their researchers and students,” said Kurt Schmidt, with NVIDIA’s Higher Education Research Group. “My No. 1 advice to universities is to embrace supporting your researchers and students when they have ideas for using AI.”

Conference attendees ranged from provosts to chief technology officers to teachers in the classroom and researchers from education consulting firms, all there to glean different things from the information presented.

Robert Sprinkley, chief technology officer for Florida State University, said he was interested in engaging in discussions about policies for the ethical use of AI, while Laura Rusnak, who teaches at the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida, said she hoped to pick up useful tips she could apply in the classroom right away. 

“I think it’s very important for leaders within higher education to share their insights and experiences with AI, said Bob Kolvoord, interim provost at James Madison University. “These are the kinds of conversations we need to be having.”