UF Office of Public Policy Events to hold debate on AI use within universities

The University of Florida will host a free debate titled “AI Goes to College – Should universities reallocate financial resources from human personnel to AI support services?” at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 4, in the Reitz Union Auditorium.

The event is presented by the UF Office of Public Policy Events and is sponsored by the ACCENT Speakers Bureau and the Dial Center for Speech and Communication Studies. 

In an era of anxiety about artificial intelligence replacing jobs, the debate will examine what the increased use of AI means to students, university employees and institutional functions. Topics will include whether AI can replace current human roles, such as advising and orientation, and then improve upon them; the ethics surrounding use; the impact on the job market; the potential overreliance on AI for tasks like advice and comfort and whether AI will eventually make universities obsolete. 

The debate will feature two student teams from the Speech and Debate Society exploring how to balance the benefits and consequences of AI, even without fully understanding the future impacts. 

The debate will be moderated by Nathan Feuerberg, chair of the ACCENT Speakers Bureau, and the judges' panel will include Ernesto Escoto, Ph.D., associate vice president for Student Life, Health and Wellbeing;  Erik Deumens, Ph.D., D.Sc., director of UF Information Technology Research Computing, and Dennis McCarty, Ph.D., director of Public Speaking Lab.

Refreshments will immediately follow the event. Students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to attend. The debate will be recorded and posted online.