This video explores the profound implications and potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in the landscape of education. The focus is on how AI is revolutionizing access to education and preparing the workforce of the future. It provides insights through a conversation featuring Justina Nixon Santeel, IBM's Chief Impact Officer, and April Dawson, Associate Dean of Technology and Innovation at North Carolina Central University. They discuss how AI is transforming educational methods by making learning more personalized, accessible, and aligned with the demands of modern job markets.

The discussion highlights the critical role of AI in equipping individuals with the necessary skills for technological advancement and economic mobility. Both experts discuss the significance of integrating AI into educational frameworks to democratize and enhance learning outcomes. They emphasize the necessity for both educators and learners to continuously adapt and grow with technological changes, ensuring that everyone is prepared for the future of work. ethical considerations and a human-centered approach in technology-driven education are also prioritized.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. openness [ˈoʊpənnəs] - (noun) - The quality of being open to new ideas, influences, or experiences. - Synonyms: (candidness, transparency, receptivity)

We'll look at openness from a variety of angles and explore how the concept is already reshaping industries, ways of doing business and our very notion of what's possible

2. ethical [ˈɛθɪkəl] - (adjective) - Related to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with what is right and wrong. - Synonyms: (moral, virtuous, principled)

They also address the ethical considerations of AI, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a human-centered approach.

3. immigrant [ˈɪmɪɡrənt] - (noun) - A person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country. - Synonyms: (migrant, expatriate, newcomer)

I'm an immigrant. I was one of the only black women who graduated from my school's mechanical engineering program many, many years ago.

4. interdisciplinary [ɪntərˈdɪsəplɪˌnɛri] - (adjective) - Involving two or more academic, scientific, or artistic disciplines. - Synonyms: (multidisciplinary, cross-discipline, integrated)

It's a wonderful interdisciplinary class where you have master's students and law students, and we talk about the foundations of AI, we talk about the legal implications of policy implications.

5. leverage [ˈlɛvərɪdʒ] - (verb) - To use something to maximum advantage. - Synonyms: (utilize, exploit, employ)

I was hired to lead the organization away from traditional philanthropy to creating platforms and solutions that leverage four g and five G technologies to positively impact disadvantaged communities

6. innovating [ˈɪnəˌveɪtɪŋ] - (verb) - The act of introducing new methods, ideas, or products. - Synonyms: (inventing, pioneering, innovating)

And I get very excited about innovating and creating and leveraging technologies like Aihdenkhdev and hybrid cloud to really bring those into the work that we do.

7. philanthropy [fɪˈlænθrəpi] - (noun) - The desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes. - Synonyms: (charity, benevolence, altruism)

I was hired to lead the organization away from traditional philanthropy to creating platforms and solutions that leverage four g and five G technologies to positively impact disadvantaged communities.

8. reskill [rɪˈskɪl] - (verb) - To teach someone new skills so that they can do a job which is now different. - Synonyms: (retrain, redevelop, remodel)

So when I think about the way that education is changing, whether you're a college student, whether you're an adult professional, you will need to be a lifelong learner, and you will need to understand how to continuously upskill and reskill yourself to be able to understand technologies like AI because of the rapid acceleration of these types of technologies

9. barriers [ˈbæriərz] - (noun) - Obstacles that make it difficult to achieve something. - Synonyms: (hurdles, obstacles, blockades)

This initiative is breaking down barriers and ensuring that people from all walks of life can participate in the future of work.

10. augment [ɔːɡˈmɛnt] - (verb) - To make something greater by adding to it; increase. - Synonyms: (enhance, supplement, enlarge)

The first is, the purpose of AI is to augment human intelligence, not replace it.

Education in the Age of AI

This season, we're diving back into the world of artificial intelligence, but with a focus on the powerful concept of open its possibilities, implications, and misconceptions. We'll look at openness from a variety of angles and explore how the concept is already reshaping industries, ways of doing business and our very notion of what's possible.

On today's episode, Doctor Laurie Santos sat down with two women at the forefront of AI in education. Justina Nixon Santeel is vice president and chief impact officer of IBM Corporate Social responsibility, and April Dawson is an associate dean of technology and innovation and professor of law at North Carolina Central University School of Law. Together, they explore the transformative impact of AI on education and the workforce. As technology rapidly evolves, industries are being reshaped and the demand for new skills is at an all time high. This is opening up opportunities for diverse talent, enabling individuals from various backgrounds to excel in roles they might not have previously considered.

They also address the ethical considerations of AI, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a human centered approach. Whether you're a teacher, a student, or someone interested in the future of work, it's essential to embrace the role of AI in the education landscape. AI is not only changing the way we work, but also how we learn, making education more accessible, personalized, and aligned with the demands of the modern job market.

Justine and April, so great to meet both of you. I'm so excited for this conversation. Thank you for having me. And thank you for having me. Justina, to start, could you share some insights on your journey to becoming IBM's chief impact officer and how your background in engineering shapes your approach to corporate social responsibility?

So I've had an interesting journey. I'm an immigrant. I was one of the only black women who graduated from my school's mechanical engineering program many, many years ago. I started my engineering career at a nuclear facility that's around 45 miles outside of Buffalo, New York, and eventually worked for one of the largest telecommunications companies in the world in engineering, marketing, and eventually in corporate social responsibility.

I was hired to lead the organization away from traditional philanthropy to creating platforms and solutions that leverage four g and five G technologies to positively impact disadvantaged communities. And that has what has led me to the work that I do at IBM today. I have the honor of being the company's first chief impact officer, and it's such a privilege and a responsibility to be at IBM, which has such a huge history in sustainability in social and in the ethical space as well.

When I consider how my background in engineering ties into the work that I do, I actually think engineers are very skilled at analyzing data and at innovative problem solving. The other thing where there's a lot of alignment with my engineering background is really around how do I think about using technology to solve some of the biggest issues that we have in society. And I get very excited about innovating and creating and leveraging technologies like Aihdenkhdev and hybrid cloud to really bring those into the work that we do and to solve some of those big challenges that we have in society today around sustainability and education.

That's fabulous. April, tell me about your path to becoming associate dean of technology and innovation, as well as a professor in law.

So, I am a child of an educator. Actually, educators. Both my parents are educators. I went to high school where my mom taught, and it was in the eighties, and it was during that time period when teachers were given Apple computers, so they were brand new. My mom brought one home, I started playing with it, and I just kind of fell in love with the technology. I received my undergraduate degree in computer science. Because of that early exposure, I went to Bennett College here in Greensboro, North Carolina. It's an HBCU, a historically black college and university.

I was a programmer after graduating from Bennett, and I've always loved technology, but I also had a love for the law. So after being a programmer for a couple of years, I decided to go to law school. And even as a lawyer, I leveraged technology in my private practice. When I decided to begin teaching almost 20 years ago, I would ask myself, how could I leverage the technology to enhance my teaching, to help the students better understand the material?

And so when our dean at the time, Brownie Lewis, when she was able to facilitate a $5 million grant to North Carolina Central University School of Law, we created the technology law and Policy center. And she asked me if I would be interested in serving as the inaugural associate dean of technology and innovation. So suffice it to say, I'm in my dream job. I'm able to combine my love of technology, my love of law, my love of education. And so it's really an exciting time to be in a position like I have. I love that. April, what inspired you to integrate AI and technology into your law curriculum?

It's interesting. As I mentioned before, I've always used it personally as an educator. But the thought of teaching a class that really kind of focused on technology and the legal implications of that really occurred, because Ray Thomas, who was an IP lawyer and worked at IBM at the time, in 2020. So around the pandemic, he encouraged us to take advantage of the IBM skills build training program, the train, the trainer program. So really, not until that time period did I even really even think about teaching a tech focused legal class. And during that time period, a couple of my other colleagues and I, we did the train the trainer blockchain course, I did the data science course. And then that next summer, we team taught the blockchain for lawyers class, which we designed. And then I taught a data science for lawyers class. And so that was, you know, really kind of the first iteration of us really being intentional about teaching technology and law.

And then one of my other colleagues, Doctor Sivande Grady, she is a professor at the School of Library and Information sciences here at NCCU. She reached out to me and said, would you be interesting in teaching a joint AI in the law class that would include her masters of information science students and my law students? So it's a wonderful interdisciplinary class where you have master's students and law students, and we talk about the foundations of AI, we talk about the legal implications of policy implications. And so really, this kind of all started because of the resources that IBM have made available to NCCU. That's so cool. And that class sounds amazing. I wish I could drop out of being a professor and attend this class. This sounds awesome.

So this is a question for both of you. In this age of AI and open technology, does the role of education change? Are we kind of in a different spot with what education should be doing now? When I look at the role of education today from the corporate point of view, I think it does change. I was having a discussion earlier today with some members of my team, and we were discussing early professional hires or people we'd want to hire right out of college. And one of the first things that I shared was some of the tasks that they would have done previously will be automated. We will be using AI for those basic tasks that in the past we would have hired an intern or a recent college graduate to do. And it's so critical now that we look at higher level types of tasks that we all need college graduates to do. And I can't foresee in the future hiring someone from college who does not have at least a basic understanding of AI. There will be some roles where they will have to have an advanced understanding, especially if they're in an engineering role or computer science role. But across the board, they will need to understand AI.

So when I think about the way that education is changing, whether you're a college student, whether you're an adult professional, you will need to be a lifelong learner, and you will need to understand how to continuously upskill and reskill yourself to be able to understand technologies like AI because of the rapid acceleration of these types of technologies. And I think that's very important. I think everyone has to be prepared, if they're not doing it today, to upskill and reskill themselves. And I can't foresee any roles in the future where candidates will not need to have a very basic understanding of AI or even advanced understanding of AI.

That's great. April. Let me ask you a slightly different version of the question. What is the significance of AI for students and young professionals today? When we think about the disruption that Gen AI especially has caused within the legal profession, students have to be more adept when it comes to feeling comfortable, being uncomfortable, and learning something new. The other thing that I would just kind of emphasize from an educational standpoint is this also means that educators have to approach teaching differently. You know, I've been teaching for going on 20 years, and things are kind of being turned on their head somewhat. Right. I have had to upskill and reskill. We can't teach that. What we don't know. We can't monitor that, what we don't know, just as the students have to understand generative AI, the educators have to understand it as well.

This is something I felt in the classroom myself, as a psychology professor, is that I'm realizing how much I need to go back to school and learn about all these AI tools, not just so that I can teach it, but just so I can understand how my students are using these things. Right. But also to figure out how I can enhance the educational experience of my own students in psychology. Right. By giving them access to these tools. And so, April, I'm curious, in your experience, how does AI actually enhance the educational experience for your law students? And I'm curious if you could give an example of the type of thing you do in your classroom.

Yes. So one of the things that I tell my students is, you gotta get your hands dirty. You can't understand these tools if you don't kind of dig in and just see how they work. So one, giving them permission and encouraging them to do it in terms of how they might be able to use these tools to help them learn better. I encourage them to. As they're wrestling maybe, with concepts that are confusing. They haven't completely wrapped their heads around it. And when we think about large language models. These tools are really helpful in that sense. Right. If there's a passage in the book and you're not quite following it, or there's a case, right. And you need some assistance and breaking it down, running that information through a large language model and then asking questions about it can be really beneficial. Also, in the law school or the legal context, large language models are really helpful for that as well. But one thing I do caution my students is that any understanding that you think you have gained through the use of these tools, you need to circle back to your professor and make sure that your understanding is correct.

I love that, and I've seen the importance of that in my own classroom, too. You mentioned so many of the things that these tools are great at. But I think another thing that AI in the classroom can help us with is democratizing the classroom. And so, Justina, I'm curious, in what ways do you think integrating AI into education is help us going to bridge these gaps and actually democratize access to education even more?

Yeah, I think it's going to really make a difference in providing access to education in many different ways. I want to give you an example. Through our IBM skills Build program, we're infusing AI technology into the platform to create a more personalized, enhanced experience for our learners in every language. So we are creating personalized learning pathways. We are tailoring the access to our learners to meet their individual needs, and we are also using AI to answer questions in a more timely and accurate manner. If you really think about it, you will need a significant staff to be able to respond quickly to questions to make sure the questions are accurate. With AI, we can answer questions immediately. We can answer them in a more sophisticated way than we did in the past, and we can also offer course recommendations and learning pathways that meet their needs.

We have courses such as AI ethics and prompt writing and getting started with machine learning all the way to actually using coding to help create these large language models. When you think about the average learner that we are working with, they may want just an introductory course on AI ethics or understanding how to use AI in their day to day work. Or they actually may want to understand how do you really leverage or code for a large language model. And I think it's important to give them all the different options and create those personalized learning pathways for them.

The other thing around really democratizing opportunities to provide free access to this kind of learning. And we do that again through our skills build program. If you have courses that you can only pay to access, then you're really not given the opportunity for everyone to advance and to learn. So by leveraging AI on our platform, but also providing that free access, we're really helping to bridge the gap, you know, for learners and make sure they can upskill and reskill themselves and help them also increase social and economic mobility.

This sounds like an amazing program. Justina, can you describe the vision behind IBM skills build and how it's built to reach so many learners around the world?

Yeah. So, IBM has always been committed to investing in the future of work, and we've offered educational experiences for many, many years. And IBM Skills build is a program. Again, it's free, it's open. Anyone can access it. But it's really around getting access to the right technical skills and workplace learning skills so that you could be prepared for a career in technology. But in any industry and any field, we know now that understanding technology, understanding AI or cybersecurity, or any of those tech topics are needed, whether you're working in a tech company or whether you're working in retail or in legal or any of these different industries.

So we want to make sure we could provide that access to learners. In 2021, we launched a global commitment to skill, 30 million people by 2030. And we are making significant progress against that goal. Just last year, we reported that we skilled 11.5 million learners around the world. And these are learners that enrolled in IBM courses, including accessing our platform, IBM Skills Build. And it's really the cornerstone of our education work. At IBM, we're really focused on scaling our work through partnerships. So we partner with historically black colleges and universities, and that's how, of course, we got the chance to meet April. We partner with nonprofit organizations across the globe. We also partner with governments to make sure we provide that free access to the communities that are aligned with their national agenda around skilling and those communities that are most in need. It's really important that we scale the program through those premier partnerships, so that's extremely important to us.

The vision behind IBM skills build is truly inspiring. In a world where technology is changing every industry, having access to these crucial skills is more important than ever. This initiative is breaking down barriers and ensuring that people from all walks of life can participate in the future of work. In order to effectively scale a platform, the strategic collaborations with educational institutions, nonprofits, and governments are key. It's clear that IBM is deeply invested in creating long lasting change in communities around the world.

This approach will strengthen the workforce globally, helping to bridge the digital divide and create more equitable opportunities in the tech space. So now we're shifting gears to think a little bit about the real world. Insights. Justina, what can you tell us about the skills first movement? This seems to be an open approach to attracting top talent. What are you hearing from students and partners?

Yeah, so IBM has been leading the skills first movement for quite some time. And one of the things that we realized, and we actually tested this out, is that you don't always need a four year degree to be successful at a tech job. So when we looked at the job postings that we had, we decided to make a commitment to have at least 50% of our job postings not requiring a four year degree. And when we started hiring people without a four year degree in certain roles, we realized that they were as successful as those with a four year degree. Now, this doesn't work across the board, but this is really a way to get access to what I consider to be untapped talent that are skilled in different ways. Maybe they've had some experiences already. Maybe they have a different set of badges and certificates or other credentials that can support them getting access to some of the roles that are offered by companies. So this is really a way to help address the opportunity gap and provide a pathway for diverse talent.

What impact do you think AI has had on global learning standards broadly, so far? I think from the perspective of a law student realizing that this little universe in which we kind of thought we might operate has expanded. When we think about AI and we think about the implications of AI, it goes far beyond our state, national. I mean, you have to have an understanding of what's going on in other countries. Even when we're thinking about the regulation of AI and the governance of AI and policies surrounding AI, it means you have to be open to learning about what's happening in other countries where AI is disrupting those spaces as well.

So, again, I think it really underscores for our law students how you have to see yourself as part of a larger team. Lawyers don't work in isolation, and it's really good that law students are recognizing that while they're still in school. So it really seems like these technologies are kind of changing the learning experience in law by making it kind of broader and maybe more global.

Justina, can you share an example of how IBM's skills build has made a significant difference in other kinds of learning journeys? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, this is one of the most rewarding parts of my job. What I get excited about is when I travel and I meet with students who have been a part of IBM skills build, and they have been able to use the learning, the certificates, the opportunities that we've provided them around mentorship as well, to be able to move into a better paying job or a new job that they did not have the opportunity previously we had one of our learners. His name was Oscar, and he arrived in California from Mexico when he was around five years old. And he worked and he attended college full time.

But during his last semester, he was introduced to the IBM Skills bill program through the Hispanic Heritage foundation, one of our partners, and through the career assessment tool of the program, he identified areas where he could excel, and it allowed him to dig deeper into learning paths that match his interests and his skills. So he started taking courses such as AI fundamentals. He earned credentials and he was able to get a better role when he graduated from college. So we have so many beneficiaries of the program who have been able to access the training, also access the mentorship that we provide through the program, and able to get a better paying or a new job because of it.

That's fabulous. April. I know your students have used IBM skills build. Can you give us an example of how it's made an important impact on a student's journey? Yes, absolutely. I mentioned that we taught a blockchain for lawyers class, and one of the students had a big interest in blockchain cryptocurrency. He actually also had a master's in information science. And so he was a dual degree student. He was also in my AI and the law class.

So he not only got the blockchain certificate, he got the AI foundation certificate, he wound up being the editor in chief of the law journal, and he is a legal tech lawyer. And so this kind of goes back to what Justina was saying about making sure that the talent that's there has access to the resources. It really does make a big difference in so many of our students lives. That's such an inspiring story, Justina. I'm curious what impact skills build has had on the communities you work with, maybe even beyond just students.

Yeah. So it has had a tremendous impact in our communities. I think one of the big things about digital skills and upskilling and reskilling is not just in certain areas. For example, I mentioned the story of Oscar, who was graduating from college, got access to skills build. It helped him get a better paying job. But we have programs in sustainability as well, where we are working with farmers in the middle of Texas, and we are providing access to skills built as well. So that they can use the technology and understand the technology that we are bringing to them through our sustainability accelerator program. And what's so interesting about this is we need to upskill and reskill them as well, right? So if you think about certain jobs where you just need to better understand the data or the technology, our partnerships with nonprofits to be able to bring it to people in different fields. And sustainability is one that we focus on as well. That has been inspiring to me. We also have programs where we focus on girls, especially in India, and make sure we're giving them access to this kind of training and mentorship, again, to make them competitive in the marketplace, to make sure that they have an opportunity at a good paying job and that they could be independent.

So our global partners work with us on leveraging skills, build, curating it in a way that makes sense for their communities that they want to impact. And we focus on women who have left the workforce and they want to return. We focus on veterans. We focus on black communities in the us or hispanic communities. So we really look at those really great global partnerships and make sure we are bringing in people who would have been otherwise left out of the tech field and given them the opportunity to reskill and upskill themselves and helping them, through our partnerships, connect to good people paying jobs as well.

So far, we've been focused on students and their learning. But now I want to turn to both of your learning. I'm curious, what are some challenges that you've faced in your careers and how have you overcome them?

Yeah, sure. So one of the things that I quickly found out was that law school was not as I envisioned. You kind of go in. You think it's one thing, it's another. The curriculum can be very surprising. It's not like the undergraduate curriculum. And I just had to kind of reach out and develop mentors. And I was very lucky in that I had a number of individuals who provided me with, you know, a tremendous amount of support. And I think that's one of the reasons why I love teaching so much, is to be able to support the students and just help them kind of build their community and their network so they can excel and then they can reach back and help others excel.

I love that. Justina, same question. What are some key challenges that you faced in your career, and how have you overcome them? Yeah, I'm smiling because what April mentioned is exactly the experience I've had. I was one of the only black women to graduate from my school's mechanical engineering program. And when my children were very young. I also stepped away from the workforce for several years to focus on them, and I don't think I would be successful today without the help of mentors. They're the ones that really helped me to be successful, to understand the corporate environment, to connect me with other opportunities.

And I think it's important to me to make myself available to others, and that's a really big part of what I do. I want to make myself and my field more representative of the work that we do. And I want to make sure that I provide access to others and give others the same types of opportunities I have. And that's why I do enjoy leading this type of work at IBM. Here, here, to both of you, giving back to the students that we were back in the day, it's so important.

Justina. IBM has a goal of equipping 30 million learners with technology skills by 2030 as part of the IBM skills build programming. Why is this initiative important, and how is IBM planning to exactly achieve this?

Yeah, we believe the talent gap is one of the biggest challenges that we face in society today. So AI, of course, is accelerating this movement and there's more of a sense of urgency. However, we know that there is a significant talent gap and that there are many people that are disadvantaged who are not getting access to the right opportunities. And that's why we made the commitment to skill, 30 million people by 2030. And that's why we provide free access to programs like IBM. Skills build with over 1000 courses in 20 languages to make them accessible to all and to give others the chance to be successful.

Last year, we also announced a commitment to train 2 million people in AI over the next three years, because, again, we understand the importance of AI and understanding it to be successful in any job, especially an entry level job. So we're continuing to expand our AI offerings because we know that it is exacerbating the talent gap, and we know that these skills will be in demand significantly by corporations.

So, April, Justina just mentioned all the changes that we're seeing in AI. I'm curious what role you think educators play in terms of making students aware of all these technological and societal changes happening in their fields.

Yeah, educators are so vital. And one of the things that I've noticed is that students who have not engaged with the tech have not done so either because an educator, a teacher or professor has told them not to, that, you know, they just say, you know, no, you can't use it, or they haven't said anything at all. They haven't encouraged them to look into it, to try it. And we have to encourage students to become familiar with these tools for all the reasons that Justina mentioned in terms of what the workforce is demanding. But also, if we don't provide them with guidance, then there's the real chance that they will use them inappropriately.

So we have to provide them with permission to dive in. We have to teach them how to use these tools ethically, with integrity. What are the best practices? And again, that kind of goes back to something I mentioned before, which I speak about a lot, is that it requires educators to themselves learn about these tools. And that's one of the reasons why I was so appreciative of the trainer program, because, again, we started offering courses at the law school because these courses were provided free of charge, of course, to our faculty. So we were able to upskill and reskill and then turn around and share that with our students.

So educators are vital. But I also think that we need to make sure we do a better job as a society of supporting our educators so that they can gain the knowledge and then pay that forward to the students. Right. Because not everybody is providing the kinds of free resources that IBM provides for teachers who really need it. April, in what ways has IBM skills built changed your perspective on the potential of AI in education?

Well, as far as the potential, it makes it so much easier, right? I mean, it lightens the lift for educators. If I had to design the AI foundations class, you know, ground up, there's no way I could have done that. And if we're thinking about exposing students, regardless of their area of study, to AI or to technology, those that are experts in those particular spaces, they're not going to be able to build those courses. So having something like IBM skills build available so that we can design a course around those modules that are already put together is incredibly helpful.

And so it means the potential of providing AI education to all students, it just really increases the possibility, which is good for all of us. Justina, as you think about your work at IBM, how do you balance the need for technological innovation with the importance of maintaining a human centered approach in education?

I really like how April touched on ethics earlier, because it is so important that we continue to make sure the human is at the center of everything that we do and that we are protecting people, even as we foster innovation with AI and the way that IBM has done that, we've had reasonable policies and guardrails in place around everything that we do around AI.

I'm actually a part of our AI ethics board we meet on a regular basis to discuss cases, to discuss technology, and we actually have discussions and make decisions on what is the right thing to do. And we are always considering a human centered approach. How do we make sure that we are protecting people, and how do we make sure that we have their voice in every decision that we make?

We have three principles around trust and transparency. And the first is, the purpose of AI is to augment human intelligence, not replace it. The second is that data and insights belong to their creator. So with anyone that we work with, we make sure that we protect their data, insights, and it belongs to them. It doesn't belong to us. And then any new technology, including any AI products, systems, platforms, must be transparent and explainable.

So I think that's important to have those types of principles in place. I'm proud to be a part of the AI ethics board, making decisions around how AI is deployed. And I think making sure that we continue to keep humans, people, at the center of every decision we make around innovation is how we protect them.

So, we've talked so much about all the changes that are happening right now. Justina, I kind of want you to put on your future prediction. Cap. What future developments do you anticipate in the realm of open education?

I think that, and I've been in education a very long time, and I remember us talking about personalized learning maybe ten years, 15 years ago, and I'm not sure it ever came to fruition in the way that we imagined. And we know that the teacher will always be the guide. They will always be the one that's needed. I don't think any technology will ever replace teachers, but I think what AI can do is enhance that experience by really creating personalized learning content and experiences in the education space.

I think that is one of the things that I would say should be something we see in the very near future around the acceleration of AI. April, you've done so much elegant work teaching your students about AI and technology. I'm curious what advice you have for other educators and technologists looking to advocate for a skills first approach or more AI training for their students.

What advice would you have for them? The first piece of advice that I always give is, don't feel overwhelmed, because you can. I mean, there's a lot going on. It's hard to keep up with how fast things are moving. Even for those of us that love this space. You don't have to do everything at once, just, you know, baby steps. And that's. That's absolutely fine.

Thank you. As a professor, I have to say I needed to hear that. So, giving myself grace, taking that one to heart, in fact, I have, in my PowerPoint presentation, the first slide I put up is of a turtle, and it says, slow your roll. And it's like I'm going to be talking about a lot of things, but I want you to remember this. This slide. Just slow your roll. It's okay. The other thing that I encourage professors to do is to join an educator community group, and there are a lot that have popped up as a result of Genai and the disruption that we're seeing just in the education space. And so how can we crowdsource our advice? Without a doubt, if you're thinking about a particular assignment and how you might use Genai in crafting that assignment or incorporating it in the assessment, there is a professor out there who has either already done it or they're also thinking about it.

So let's be more collaborative. And I will say that's been really wonderful for me as a law professor, being able to collaborate with professors from other disciplines. And the last thing that I would say, sometimes it can be hard to convince your colleagues within your institution to be progressive. And if you can bring an outside speaker to come in and kind of just share what's going on, that can oftentimes get people moving, even if you within the building aren't able to get that same traction. So those are kind of the three pieces of advice that I'll typically give professors. So this has been a fabulous conversation, but we are reaching the end of our time.

But before we wrap, let's do a speed round. Ready? First question. April 1. Complete this sentence. In five years, AI will blank. In five years, AI will be more fully leveraged to help lawyers better serve their clients more efficiently and will help close the access to justice gap. Nice. Justina, same question. In five years, AI will have disrupted every industry, and there would have been significant advancements made in education and sustainability with the use of AI.

Okay, speed round question number two. What is the number one thing that people misunderstand about AI? Justina, you first. The number one misunderstanding about AI is that it's going to destroy everyone's jobs. I think that people with AI skills or understanding of AI will have some advantages in the workplace.

April, the number one thing people misunderstand about AI is that only computer scientists or mathematicians or engineers can understand it. You can gain an understanding again through baby steps. And there are so many resources available. If you explore the information in bite sized pieces, you can begin to wrap your head around it.

Okay, next speed round question. What advice would you give yourself ten years ago to better prepare you for today? Justina, you first. The advice I would give myself ten years ago is to continue learning. I always love understanding technology. I always dove deep into whether it's machine learning or four g and five G technologies. Understanding AI and hybrid cloud today is something that I also enjoy doing. So I would say continue learning, continue diving into these technologies, continue understanding what it means for you and your future career.

April, be more interdisciplinary, so stay current with the evolution of computer science, but also incorporate the study of data and ethics and sociology, because the challenges that are posed by AI, they're multifaceted, and you have to have an understanding in these areas to really address the promise and the challenges of AI.

Final speed round question. How are you already using AI in your day to day life today? April so I use it in my teaching. The other way that I plan on using it in the future is surveying the students and then using the data analysis tool to help me gather that information and figure out how best to address the information that I've received from my students.

Nice, Justina. Yeah. So the way that we're using AI today is to actually analyze complex and large datasets in our sustainability work, to provide insights to some of our partners on how they can increase crop yield, for example, or how they can deliver clean energy solutions to rural areas. So we are actively using it in the programs that we have within our corporate social responsibility portfolio and also integrating it into our skills build platform.

Smart Talks with IBM is produced by Matt Romano, Joey Fishground, Amy Gaines McQuade, and Jacob Goldstein or edited by Lydia Jean Cott. Our engineers are Sarah Bruguer and Ben Talladay. Theme song by Grammascope. Special thanks to the eight bar and IBM teams as well as the Pushkin marketing team.

Smart Talks with IBM is a production of Pushkin Industries and Ruby studio at iHeartMedia. To find more Pushkin podcasts, listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. I'm Malcolm Glabwell. This is a paid advertisement from IBM. The conversations on this podcast don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies, or opinions.

Artificial Intelligence, Education, Innovation, Technology, Ai In Education, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ibm Technology