In this episode of Intelligence for GOOD, Grant speaks with Aaron Ament, cofounder and president of Student Defense, about how artificial intelligence is changing higher education. Student Defense is a nonprofit organization that uses litigation, advocacy, and policy development to protect students and ensure college remains a pathway to economic mobility. Aaron discusses the organization’s Shape AI initiative, which stands for Safeguarding Higher Education Through AI Practices and Ethics. The initiative brings together students, faculty members, college administrators, policy experts, and AI leaders to create practical guidance for responsible AI adoption. The conversation explores how colleges are already using AI in admissions, recruitment, grading, academic advising, student support, and workforce preparation. Aaron explains why university governance policies have not kept pace with adoption and why institutions need stronger standards for transparency, data protection, human oversight, and accountability. Grant and Aaron also examine the positive potential of AI, including personalized learning, expanded tutoring, earlier identification of students who need support, and better access to benefits and campus resources. They discuss the risk of creating a new affordability divide between students who can access premium AI tools and those who cannot, as well as the responsibility universities have to prepare graduates for a rapidly changing job market. Topics discussed Why Student Defense was foundedThe risks students faced from predatory for profit collegesWhy Student Defense launched the Shape AI initiativeHow AI is being used across the college experienceThe lack of formal AI governance policies at many universitiesHuman accountability in admissions and other major decisionsTransparency and disclosure when AI affects studentsProtecting student data from third party technology vendorsPersonalized learning and AI powered tutoringUsing data to identify students who need transportation, food, childcare, or financial supportGeorgia State University’s approach to tracking student risk factorsThe potential gap between students using free and premium AI modelsWhy colleges may need to provide institution wide AI accessTeaching AI literacy across every academic disciplinePreparing students for a changing workforceWhy universities should begin with use cases rather than technologyThe importance of preserving human relationships and campus communitiesThe future of Student Defense and its work protecting studentsAbout Aaron Ament Aaron Ament is the cofounder and president of Student Defense, a nonprofit organization focused on protecting students from fraud, deception, and harmful practices within higher education. Before founding Student Defense, Aaron worked on education policy and student protection issues at the state and federal levels, including serving in the United States Department of Education during the Obama administration. Through Student Defense and its Shape AI initiative, Aaron is helping colleges and universities develop policies for adopting artificial intelligence in ways that improve student success while protecting privacy, access, fairness, and human accountability. About Student Defense Student Defense is a nonprofit organization that uses litigation and advocacy to protect students and promote economic mobility through higher education. Its work includes student lending, consumer protection, public service loan forgiveness, for profit college accountability, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence across higher education. Key takeaway AI can help colleges personalize learning, identify students who need support, and prepare graduates for a changing economy. Those benefits will depend on whether institutions adopt clear governance policies, protect student data, provide equitable access, disclose how AI is being used, and keep people accountable for decisions affecting students.
