Google to kick off weeklong KU event on AI in education and research

LAWRENCE — On Sept. 29, Google will kick off “Falling into AI,” a weeklong event that invites the Jayhawk community to engage with researchers and industry leaders from across the University of Kansas working with artificial intelligence. The event will bring together students, staff, faculty and health care professionals from across the university to discover how AI is reshaping the academic landscape and creating new opportunities. 

Experts from Google for Education and other Google divisions will give the keynote address at the kickoff event in the Kansas Union. The speakers will highlight Google’s initiatives supporting AI education and research in higher education, demonstrating how AI drives innovation across disciplines. After the keynote, Google experts will hold a panel discussion and Q&A session. 

Following the keynote, Google will host breakout sessions to provide insights for students exploring AI career paths, faculty members integrating AI into their teaching and research and health care professionals leveraging AI innovations in their fields. 

The weeklong event is hosted by Lisa Dieker, director of the Center for Flexible Learning Through Innovations & Technology (FLITE), a center within the Achievement & Assessment Institute, and Ed Hudson, KU CIO and vice chancellor for information technology. 

“I'm excited to see that Google has really leaned into this and wants to be a partner with KU,” Hudson said. “I’m especially interested in learning more about their student track, because I think an important role for KU is to help educate and train students so they are best prepared when they graduate.” 

Throughout the week, faculty and staff across the university will host informal open houses and present how they use AI in their work. Presenters include FLITE, the Center for Public Partnerships & Research, the Center for Teaching Excellence and the Institute for Information Sciences (I2S). Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to attend the sessions and connect and learn about the innovative research and work happening at KU. 

“This is a chance for people to ask questions and talk about how they can collaborate,” Dieker said. “KU has a big campus, and this event will help bring us together.” 

Hudson said that he hopes this event will help define KU’s AI identity and offer clarity about what the future will look like for the university. 

“We are, in some ways, a little behind other universities, but I think that's because KU has been trying to be very intentional,” Hudson said. “It’s an ever-changing topic, so unless you make huge investments, you can't really be way out in front of it. We want to move thoughtfully into the academic, research and administrative spaces. So, this is a great opportunity to start having those conversations.” 

The "Falling into AI" Kickoff, presented by Google, will take place 1-4 p.m. Sept. 29 in the Kansas Union Woodruff Room. Visit the Falling into AI event page to register for tickets to the kickoff and view the full schedule of free sessions and open houses happening throughout the week, which are intended for the KU community. Virtual and in-person options are available for open houses, and giveaways are available to in-person attendees.