2025

2025 Student Leadership Conference

The Future of Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the forefront of technological advancements, reshaping industries from healthcare and business to the creative sector. While its potential is vast, it also raises critical challenges, including ethical concerns, privacy risks, and workforce shift. The 2025 Student Leadership Conference has insightful sessions that explore how to harness AI to drive innovation in your field while upholding ethical standards and reshaping a responsible future.

Featured speakers for this conference will include CUNY SPS graduate students from our Visionary Voices program, along with external speakers carefully selected by the Student Leadership Conference Committee. Examples of topics will include: AI & Activism, Artificial Intelligence in Language Services, AI in the Entertainment Industry, and more!  


Monday, April 7

12pm | Advancing AI Literacy: Insights, Tools, & Competencies for Students

Artificial Intelligence is transforming education, but how can students harness its power responsibly and effectively? This session explores the fundamentals of AI, its impact on higher education, and the growing industry demand for AI skills. Within this context, we’ll discuss different types of AI tools, ethical considerations, and essential competencies like prompt engineering and critical evaluation. Whether you're an AI enthusiast or just beginning to explore its potential, this interactive session will empower students with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to navigate AI’s evolving landscape with confidence. Join us to prepare for the future—today!

Recording

 

6:30pm | Keynote with Dr. Shane Snipes  

Recording


Tuesday, April 8

12pm | AI for Social Justice: Mobilizing and Innovating for Marginalized Communities

This workshop explores how AI can be leveraged as a tool for activism and empowerment, helping marginalized communities overcome barriers to engagement, resource limitations, and systemic neglect. Participants will discover real-world examples of AI-powered advocacy, learn strategies for mobilization, and discuss ethical considerations such as bias and misinformation. Whether you're an activist, policymaker, or technologist, this session will provide actionable insights on how to integrate AI into advocacy while ensuring fairness and inclusivity.

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7pm | Beyond Traditional Learning: Leveraging AI to Advance Inclusive Education for Students with Disabilities and Marginalized Communities

The significance of inclusion in our society is what renders this presentation worthwhile. When learning is intentionally structured to be accessible to all, regardless of individual needs, it highlights the need to foster an inclusive learning community. This interactive workshop will show how AI-powered educational technologies can make learning accessible, adaptable, and empowering and the role of staff and faculty members in ensuring that materials/content are accessible. Live demos and hands-on activities will introduce speech-to-text apps, educational platforms, and AI reading devices for people with disabilities and disadvantages. Participants will better grasp AI's role in education, practical uses, and ways to advocate for appropriate AI integration in classrooms and learning settings. 

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Wednesday, April 9

12pm | Artificial Intelligence in Language Services: An Opportunity for a Threat?  

This presentation will provide an overview of the development of technology in language services industry. It will discuss how technology, with emphasis on Artificial Intelligence, have changed the landscape of language services, created opportunities and posed threats to language professionals. It will discuss also the opportunities provided to different communities, especially people with disabilities. It will be concluded by a forward looking to the future of such developments and their foreseeable impact. 

Recording

 

12:30pm | Disabling AI: An Approach to Deconstructing Ableism in Data and Design   

AI is ableist. But that doesn’t mean it always will be. Join this Disability Studies-driven presentation to explore ways we can rethink data and design to truly “disable” AI and inclusively build our technological futures.

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7pm | Flight of the AI Navigator: Steering through the Entertainment Landscape using Artificial Intelligence

Join me on a journey through the uncharted world of machine learning in entertainment, where we’ll uncover emerging ethical practices and explore how AI is shaping the future of storytelling in film, TV, and theatre.

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7:30pm | AI & Access: Leveraging AI Technology for Advocacy, Activism, and Human Rights

This presentation explores the relationship, ethics, and potential strategies for leveraging AI technology to strengthen advocacy, activism, and human rights. With a focus on access and disability advocacy, the presentation will include research, examples of AI’s potential impact on advocacy work, moral issues surrounding activism and AI, and invite participants to speculate on how they could utilize aspects of AI technology for causes and social issues they care about.

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Thursday, April 10

12pm | Becoming a Responsible AI Citizen

AI is now an integral part of daily life, whether we realize it or not. From personal assistants to enterprise applications, AI is shaping the way we work, communicate, and make decisions. Just like any powerful technology—whether it's driving a car, operating machinery, or handling complex systems—using AI responsibly requires awareness, training, and adherence to safety standards. In highly regulated industries, companies invest heavily in safety training before employees even step into their roles. AI should be no different. This session will provide a structured foundation for understanding AI in the workplace. We will begin by exploring traditional AI—often referred to as analytical AI—including how it is used in business decision-making, automation, and optimization. We’ll then move to the rise of Generative AI, breaking down its capabilities, limitations, and the misconceptions surrounding its use. AI is not infallible, and knowing when and how to use it is just as important as understanding what it can do. Beyond technical capabilities, responsible AI use requires governance. We will discuss how tech companies implement safeguards, including technical constraints, ethical guidelines, and responsible AI frameworks. Just as industries have established ISO standards for safety, environmental protection, and operational excellence, AI governance is following a similar path. We’ll explore emerging AI regulations from the U.S. and Europe, industry-specific AI standards like ISO 42001, and how companies are preparing to comply. Finally, we will tie AI responsibility to data security and privacy, as there is no AI without data. Regulations such as GDPR and industry-specific standards play a crucial role in ensuring AI is deployed ethically and securely. Whether you are developing AI, implementing AI-driven solutions, or simply using AI tools in your role, understanding these principles is critical. This session will provide the knowledge and perspective needed to become a responsible AI citizen, ensuring that AI is used safely and effectively across industries.

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7pm | Ethical Hiring Trends: Navigating Talent Selection and Advancing Your Career in the Age of AI

AI is revolutionizing the hiring process through reshaping how resumes are screened, interviews are conducted, and hiring decisions are made. While these advancements create new efficiencies, they also raise concerns about bias, privacy, and transparency in recruitment. This session explores how AI is used in talent selection, its benefits and challenges, and what students need to know about AI-driven hiring practices. Attendees will also gain practical strategies to navigate AI in their job search and career development, ensuring they are equipped to succeed in an evolving workforce. By attending, students will gain insight into AI’s growing role in hiring and talent selection, understand the ethical implications of AI in recruitment, and explore AI-powered job search and career development tools.

Recording

 

Friday, April 11

12pm | A Collaborative Discussion: Crafting Policies for AI Use in Higher Education 

This workshop aims to foster a dynamic and insightful conversation on the development of policies for integrating artificial intelligence (AI) in higher education. Through an engaging and interactive discussion, we will bring together students, faculty, and staff to explore the various dimensions of AI's role in academia. Participants will delve into the opportunities, challenges, and ethical considerations of AI implementation, and work collaboratively to identify strategies for creating effective policies that can guide responsible AI use. We will examine its impact on learning, research, accessibility, and administrative functions, considering both the positive potential and the risks. Join us as we shape the future of AI in higher education together.

This session was not recorded as it featured breakout rooms with discussions.  

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