AI Week: Exploring the Future of Artificial Intelligence

Matthew Versaggi '86 will give an engineering seminar during Alfred University's AI Week

Alfred University will host its inaugural AI Week, April 14-18, exploring the transformative power of artificial intelligence across academic disciplines. From thought-provoking keynote speakers to interactive demonstrations and faculty- and student-led projects, AI Week brings together the entire campus to examine the impact of AI on creativity, research, and society.

Attendees of the AI Week events will have the opportunity to engage with artificial intelligence experts, participate in hands-on workshops, and experience demonstrations showcasing AI applications.

Whether you're curious about machine learning, AI-driven art, ethical considerations, or practical applications in business and industry, AI Week is your gateway to discovering how artificial intelligence is shaping the world-and how you can be a part of it.

Following is the complete schedule for AI Week at Alfred University:

Monday, April 14

Brian Maguire

• "Beyond the Algorithm: Enhancing Critical Thinking in the Age of AI" seminar with Brian Maguire, 9:20- 10:10 a.m., Olin Room 302. Maguire is a principal solutions architect at Amazon Web Services with over 25 years of technology leadership experience. He specializes in advising executives and technical teams on using AI to accelerate their business, following nearly two decades as vice president of Engineering at Vantage Labs, an AI company. He co-authored "Scalable Data Streaming with Amazon Kinesis" data analytics book and developed numerous open-source projects. Maguire has served as Cyber Security Program and Engineering Curriculum Advisor at Temple University, as well as on Rutgers University's Big Data Program Advisory Board, and is currently a student at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School's Executive Chief Technology Officer Program.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Tuesday, April 15

Collin Wilkinson

• "Introduction to AI" with Collin Wilkinson, assistant professor of glass science in Alfred University's Inamori School of Engineering, 10:20-11:10 a.m., Olin Room 302
• AI Taskforce: Update and Panel Discussion, 12:20-1:10 p.m., Olin Room 301

Wednesday, April 16

Andrew Deutsch '90

• Artist talk on AI work with Andrew Deutsch '90, professor of expanded media in Alfred University's School of Art & Design, 9:00- 9:45 a.m., Holmes Auditorium, Harder Hall. Deutsch will discuss his latest work exploring AI-generated imagery and censorship. Drawing from personal medical experiences, Deutsch created a series of images using the trial version of generative artificial intelligence program Midjourney.

Xiaowen Chen

• "The Nature of Creativity in the Age of AI" with Xiaowen Chen, professor of expanded media in Alfred University's School of Art & Design, 9:45-10:30 a.m., Holmes Auditorium, Harder Hall. Chen will explore how AI influences artistic practice, from creative expression to audience engagement. The talk examines AI-assisted art, including generative models, interactive installations, and reinterpretations of traditional techniques, drawing from the Consciousness Emergence exhibition he curated in 2024 in China. It also addresses AI ethics, bias, and its impact on the future of art.
• "AI and Writing Pedagogy Discussion" led by Chloe Hansen, professor of English and director of the Writing Center at Alfred University, 12:20-1:10 p.m., Alumni Lounge, Powell Campus Center. Join a discussion on the state of writing pedagogy in the age of AI, which will consider the value in continuing to teach and assign writing, and how professors could adjust approaches to writing in light of AI. People from all disciplines-from writing-focused to writing-curious-are invited to participate.

Eryk Salvaggio

• AI film screening with researcher, filmmaker, and new media artist Eryk Salvaggio, 5:30 p.m., Nevins Theater, Powell Campus Center. Salvaggio is a researcher on AI, art, and education at the metaLab, Harvard University, the emerging technology research advisor to the Siegel Family Endowment, and a fellow and top contributor to Tech Policy Press. The event is a screening of Salvaggio's "Human Movie: Six Meditations on a Compression Algorithm (2025)," a 32-minute video essay contrasting the human metaphors used to describe AI with the unmodelable experience of being a human. The screening will be followed by a conversation and discussion/Q&A session, moderated by James Hansen, assistant professor of art history and curator of the Light Matter Film Festival.

Thursday, April 17

• "Evaluating AI: Beta Testing AU Libraries New Research Tool," with Maria Planansky, collection management librarian, Shauna-Kay Harrison, digital archivist, and Samantha Dannick, associate professor of engineering and scholarly communications librarian, 10:15-11:15 a.m., Herrick Library Computer Room.
• Engineering seminar with Alfred University alumnus Matthew Versaggi '86, 11:20 am-12:10 p.m., Holmes Auditorium, Harder Hall. Versaggi, who earned bachelor's degrees in finance/management information systems and computer science from Alfred University, is an expert in artificial intelligence who has been in the AI space since the mid-1980s. For 16 years (1997-2013), he was president and CEO of Versaggi Information Systems Inc., an information technology consulting company in Chicago. He was an artificial intelligence engineer at Imagine One Technology and Management, Charleston, SC, a military contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense in the artificial intelligence space; and worked as senior director of Artificial Intelligence & Cognitive Technology at Optum Technology (UnitedHealthcare) in Eden Prairie, MN; and was principle consultant for Versaggi Information Systems, LLC, which consulted with companies to develop and execute an AI business strategy. Today, Versaggi is a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow (PIV) in AI. As a PIV stationed in the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS), he is charged with proliferating artificial intelligence throughout CMS operations.

Friday, April 18

John Simmins '84, PhD '90

• AR/VR (Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality) Demo and Lecture with Alfred University alumnus John Simmins '84, PhD '90, research faculty in Alfred University's Inamori School of Engineering, 11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m., Olin Room 301. Simmins is director of the GE Vernova Advanced Power Grid Lab, a workforce development initiative that will prepare students for careers in the growing renewable energy industry. The lab- supported by a $466,853 grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and $2.8 million in software licenses donated by GE Vernova- will benefit students in the Alfred University Inamori School of Engineering's Renewable Energy Engineering and Electric Engineering programs by providing them with access to state-of-the-art equipment and training, which includes the use of machine learning technology.
• "Pondering Pedagogy" with Alfred University's AI Subcommittee, 12:20-1:10 p.m., Olin Room 400. Members of the Teaching with AI Sub-Committee will facilitate this discussion on how artificial intelligence is used in the classroom, how it has changed or influenced how teachers instruct, how AI has benefited the classroom, and what needs faculty anticipate related to AI moving forward.