AI Exchange @ UVA Substack Podcast

Ryan Wright

The AI Exchange @ UVA is a biweekly newsletter and podcast exploring how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping teaching, research, personal productivity, and operations at the University of Virginia. aiatuva.substack.com

  1. Aug 13

    Dean Christa Acampora on what AI reveals about higher education

    My guest is Christa Acampora, Buckner W. Clay Professor of Philosophy and Dean of UVA’s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. In this episode, Dean Acampora takes on the question: what is higher education for when AI can generate the outputs? We also talk about cultivating human judgment and calling out the moments students exercise it. Plus the AI Literacy and Action Lab, Career Design and Discovery, and her advice for students, faculty and staff. “AI is a powerful tool that can fundamentally advance teaching, learning and discovery, and its ubiquity and growth really mean that we have to embrace it rather than resist it. I want every student to learn how to use it critically, practically, and in the service of their own education and formation.” In this episode: * Why AI forces the question higher education has avoided: when it can generate a student’s outputs, what are we really trying to do? * Judgment as the superpower: identifying what matters, giving an answer for why, and calling out the moments when students exercise it. * Inside the AI Literacy and Action Lab, the College’s joint venture with the UVA Library: hands-on judgment practice for students and a sandbox for faculty. * Career Design and Discovery arrives in the first-year experience: not what should I do with my life, but what kind of life do I want to lead? * Advice from the Dean’s desk for first-years, faculty, and staff. Links · Q&A: In the AI age, why are the humanities still relevant? (UVA Today) · The AI Literacy and Action Lab (UVA Library) · Career Design and Discovery (UVA Arts & Sciences) · Can Colleges Make All Their Students “AI Fluent”? (The Chronicle of Higher Education) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aiatuva.substack.com

  2. Jun 24

    Stop Using AI Like Google: Unlocking Clinical Superpowers

    In this episode of The AI Exchange, we sit down with Dr. Matthew Trowbridge, an Associate Professor at UVA, to explore how he is empowering the next generation of physicians to actively shape the future of healthcare. Through his groundbreaking 10-day Health Design Sprints, medical students with zero coding experience are transforming from passive AI users into active software builders that can create functional, AI-driven medical education apps from scratch. Discover why healthcare professionals need to stop treating AI as an infallible “oracle” and start engaging with it as a collaborative clinical partner. Plus, Dr. Trowbridge shares a radically simple, actionable method for anyone looking to get started with AI today (hint: it involves stepping away from your keyboard and taking your dog for a walk). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aiatuva.substack.com

    Stop Using AI Like Google: Unlocking Clinical Superpowers

  3. Jun 10

    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. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aiatuva.substack.com

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

  4. May 15

    Podcast: Josh Baller and Jackie Huband Talk the Future with Research Computing @ UVA

    UVA is transforming research by making advanced AI and computational tools easily accessible to faculty, guided by two world-class on-campus experts: Dr. Josh Baller and Dr. Jackie Huband. Dr. Baller, the Associate Vice President for Research Computing, brings a diverse research background spanning mathematics and genetics. Dr. Huband, the Assistant Director of the Data Analytics Center, leverages her extensive experience as both a former defense contractor programmer and a tenured computer science faculty member. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aiatuva.substack.com

    Podcast: Josh Baller and Jackie Huband Talk the Future with Research Computing @ UVA

  5. Apr 28

    Podcast: Mona Kasra on AI and Trust (Episode 15)

    Topic: AI is making fake images easier to produce, but the bigger challenge is protecting trust and judgment in a world where seeing is no longer believing. Mona Kasra, Associate Professor of Digital Media Design, brings together visual culture, creative practice, and democratic life to examine how AI is reshaping the way we see, interpret, and trust images. She explains how the next step is building visual AI literacy strong enough to protect trust without giving up on truth. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aiatuva.substack.com

  6. Mar 18

    Podcast: Piers Gelly and Kenny Fountain, AI and Writing (Episode 14)

    Topic: AI is changing how students write, but the bigger challenge is helping them think clearly about when to use it, when to resist it, and what writing is actually for. Piers Gelly and T. Kenny Fountain, faculty members in the University of Virginia’s Department of English, explore how generative AI is reshaping the teaching and practice of writing. As large language models change how students draft, revise, and think on the page, they examine what this shift means for voice, authorship, and academic integrity. Through classroom experiments and broader pedagogical frameworks, they highlight both the opportunities and tensions of integrating AI into writing instruction. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aiatuva.substack.com

  7. Mar 5

    Podcast: Lauren Bridges and Xi Yang AI and the Environment (Episode 12)

    Topic: AI helps us understand climate change even as it accelerates it, forcing hard choices about how we use technology. Xi Yang, an Associate Professor in the University of Virginia’s Department of Environmental Sciences, and Lauren Bridges, an Assistant Professor in UVA’s Department of Media Studies, explore how artificial intelligence intersects with the environment. From revealing hidden climate damage in coastal forests to examining the environmental and community impacts of data centers, their work highlights both the promise and the costs of these technologies. Together, they offer perspectives on what responsible AI research looks like as environmental challenges continue to grow. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aiatuva.substack.com

  8. Feb 19

    Podcast: Kelly Doney, UVA's CIO talks AI Transformation (Episode 10)

    Topic: The institutions that balance AI innovation with clear guardrails will shape what comes next. Kelly Doney, UVA’s Vice President and Chief Information Officer, sits at the center of the university’s AI transformation—balancing innovation with privacy, experimentation with fiscal discipline, and research acceleration with institutional responsibility. In a moment defined by rapid breakthroughs and even faster hype cycles, she’s focused on structured pilots, scalable infrastructure, and building the guardrails that allow innovation to thrive safely. For Kelly, AI isn’t about chasing trends—it’s about earning a strategic seat at the table and preparing UVA for long-term impact. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aiatuva.substack.com

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The AI Exchange @ UVA is a biweekly newsletter and podcast exploring how Artificial Intelligence is reshaping teaching, research, personal productivity, and operations at the University of Virginia. aiatuva.substack.com

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