Birthplace: Penzance, Cornwall, England
Professional Background: Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs and Innovation, Louisiana Board of Regents. Previously, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Chief Academic Officer, University System of Georgia; Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Tennessee Board of Regents; and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Austin Peay State.
Commission Role: Postsecondary Education Policies subcommittee member
AI Experience: Created Degree Compass, an AI and predictive analytics-based recommendation system to aid in improving academic advising.
Favorite AI App or Use: Suno
Hobbies Outside of Work and AI: I like to read, paint with watercolors, play the guitar and trumpet, and cook, though rarely all at once.

Why did you want to be involved in the commission and what has your experience been like so far?

I was intrigued to know how people across the spectrum of education were thinking about AI. I have very much enjoyed the interactions that the commission has provided. The diversity of role and thought that the commission assembled has enabled us to quickly bring the challenges into focus, whilst also making significant progress toward solutions.

How might AI change what  we teach?

While gradually improving AI tools have been available in the education sphere for decades, up until now their use has largely been confined to experts in quantitative fields. The new advances that we are all living with today have brought the power of AI into every discipline and into everyday life. In the same way that existing AI tools have transformed what we teach in quantitative fields, generative AI, going forward, will now change what we teach in every field. The Louisiana Board of Regents has formed a standing committee devoted to this topic, to ensure that we take full advantage of that opportunity.

How might AI change how we teach?

We have known for a long time that learning is significantly enhanced by individualized instruction, especially when it is accompanied by detailed and immediate feedback. The challenge until now has been to determine how we might take that kind of education to anything like scale. The new generative AI tools that are now appearing hold the promise of enabling teachers to provide that kind of educational experience to all their students in ways that have not been possible before.

Do you believe AI can support educators without diminishing human interaction and emotional intelligence in the classroom?

Any tool we have can be used well or can be used badly. The AI tools emerging now open the door to significant new possibilities for automation. If that opportunity is employed well, it may open up new opportunities for teachers to interact directly with their students, perhaps with a level of insight that has not been possible before. If that opportunity is employed badly, it runs the risk of diminishing the critical teacher-learner relationship, making education merely a rote experience.

How might the work of this commission change the course of AI in education?

This new technology is developing at a very rapid pace. Having a commission that is able to approach the possibilities that open up from so many different angles simultaneously puts the SREB states in the best possible position to seize those advantages as they appear.