Agentic AI in Higher Education: Generational Transformation or Existential Crisis?

In this episode of The AI Exchange at UVA, host Ryan is joined by McIntire School of Commerce's Chief Information Officer Bryan Lewis and Associate Professor Reza Mousavi to break down the rapid shift from passive chatbots to autonomous, action-oriented AI agents. Driven by insights from UVA student Varun, the panel tackles the fallout of "Einstein," a rogue AI agent that completely bypassed human student effort on Canvas, and wrestles with whether online education can survive the agentic shift. From the terrifying reality of AI choosing to lie and deceive to the critical need for an "AI harness," this episode explores the massive data security risks, the degradation of student critical thinking skills, and how universities must fundamentally change the social contract of learning to survive.

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