Preparing for the Storm: Leadership in an Age of AI Acceleration - Sean O'Brien UMW Talk

Описание: What does it mean to lead in a moment of rapid AI acceleration?

In this talk, Sean O’Brien—a 2009 graduate of the University of Mary Washington, Associate Vice President at Internet2, and UMW’s inaugural AI Expert-in-Residence—explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping work, higher education, and society. Drawing on his experience in technology leadership and research infrastructure, Sean examines the opportunities and risks of the current AI moment: rising productivity, institutional disruption, human skills, economic inequality, democratic governance, and the future of higher education.

Hosted by the University of Mary Washington Center for AI and the Liberal Arts, this lecture considers how individuals and institutions can prepare for an era defined not just by AI itself, but by the speed of technological change.

Topics include:
AI and the acceleration of change
Human skills in an AI-driven economy
Burnout, productivity, and the “energy vampire” effect
Why higher education still matters in the age of AI
Multimodel AI ecosystems and institutional strategy
AI, democracy, access, equity, and the future of work

Speaker: Sean O’Brien
Host: Anand Rao, Director, UMW Center for AI and the Liberal Arts

The UMW Center for AI and the Liberal Arts promotes thoughtful public dialogue about AI, education, ethics, culture, and society.

#AI #HigherEducation #UniversityOfMaryWashington #Internet2 #ArtificialIntelligence #AILiteracy #Leadership #FutureOfWork #LiberalArts #Education

Chapter Markers

0:00 Welcome and introduction
0:55 Sean O’Brien’s UMW and Internet2 background
5:17 Why this talk is called “Preparing for the Storm”
7:49 Preparing for AI change: individuals, institutions, society
10:26 The real story is the speed of change
12:35 Individuals in the AI era
13:44 From answers to creation: the transformational use of AI
16:28 Multimodal AI and lifelong learning
18:14 AI amplifies human expertise
19:56 Productivity, exhaustion, and the “energy vampire” effect
24:27 Faster pace, broader scope, longer hours
28:23 Why human skills become more valuable
29:29 A roadmap for individuals
32:35 Higher education in the AI era
36:38 Lessons from cloud computing and the case for a multimodel future
40:29 Innovation is not a product you buy
44:18 Will AI replace higher education?
47:06 Why liberal arts institutions matter now
49:10 A roadmap for institutions
50:06 AI’s societal impact and the “ghost GDP” scenario
54:04 A more hopeful vision: AI and democratized opportunity
55:54 A roadmap for society
57:13 Closing reflection: what makes us human
58:22 Q&A begins
58:34 Can public resistance stop AI development?
1:02:18 Question on AI control and human agency
1:03:51 Productivity gains vs. burnout
1:05:16 Echo chambers, flattery, and the need for challenge
1:08:46 AI, equity, access, and bias
1:13:45 Closing response