AI and the Academy
A special SXSW-week conversation led by Cole Camplese on how universities can respond to AI with stronger teaching, better tools, and clearer institutional strategy.
About this event
Scheduled during SXSW week, this special in-person session brings the campus AI conversation into a broader public moment. Cole Camplese will lead a discussion about what universities should protect, rethink, and build as AI becomes part of everyday academic life.
The session is designed for people thinking seriously about teaching, learning, research, institutional capacity, and the role technology teams play in shaping the future of higher education.
What attendees will explore
- How AI is changing expectations for teaching and academic support
- What university technology teams should prioritize in the next phase of adoption
- Where institutional strategy matters more than tool novelty
- Why the academy still has an opportunity to shape what comes next
Why this matters now
As AI tools move from experimentation to infrastructure, higher education institutions are being pushed to decide what they will enable, what they will govern, and what kind of learning environment they want to create.
This conversation is meant to help that work stay grounded in mission, not just momentum.