Florida State University will bring together experts on artificial intelligence and machine learning this month to discuss ways these cutting-edge technologies can be used in the classroom and how to ensure their ethical use in educational settings.
The 2025 Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Expo, AIMLX25, is set for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday, Feb. 28 at the Challenger Learning Center in Tallahassee and is presented by the FSU Interdisciplinary Data Science Master’s Degree Program.
This year’s event, the fifth in the annual AIMLX series, centers on education and how AI and machine learning can enhance students’ academic work and professors’ teaching methods in the classroom. AIMLX25 attendees will explore how AI and machine learning can improve education through hands-on demonstrations and presentations by researchers in the fields of educational psychology, education, English, digital learning, communication and information, and more.
“The potential of AI resides in its ability to enhance automation, deliver individualized education and facilitate AI-based grading,” said Gordon Erlebacher, director of FSU’s Interdisciplinary Data Science Master’s Degree Program and professor of scientific computing. “The challenge comes in integrating these benefits while preserving the human element that AI cannot fully replace. Advancements in different fields such as health care — which was the theme of last year’s event — and education will become increasingly more accessible to the general population as research progresses.”
FSU researchers will present on topics including classroom practices, digital learning to prepare students for careers in the world of AI and more. Presenters hail from the College of Arts and Sciences; the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences; the Office of Digital Learning and Academic Technologies; the College of Communication and Information and other FSU organizations.
“Our future with these technologies is imminent, and if we fail to harness their potential, we risk falling behind,” Erlebacher said. “AI has already demonstrated its capabilities in developing lesson plans, providing constructive feedback on assignments and other tasks. The potential applications are seemingly limitless, and skills that can be acquired from AI can empower individuals to harness their imagination and accomplish tasks that were once insurmountable just a few years ago.”
Associate Professor of English Michael Neal will share his research, “Decoupling Generative AI from Plagiarism: Toward a New Model of Authorship and Intellectual Property for Student Writers,” and discuss how equating AI with plagiarism doesn’t account for the thoughtful and legitimate uses of AI in academia and beyond.
“It’s important for people to have a healthy balance between skepticism and embracing new technologies,” Neal said. “Open-minded but critical and reflective uses of new technologies can help us integrate them well into educational spaces while considering potential consequences. Many people have strong opinions about AI without understanding it well, so the more voices we have contributing to AI and machine learning development discussions, the better equipped we’ll be to implement it in educational settings while thoughtfully addressing potential societal impacts.”
The expo’s keynote speaker, Fengfeng Ke, is the Clark Leadership Chair Professor of the College of Education at the University of Maryland. Her keynote address, “Learner Modeling in AI-Powered Simulations,” will cover her research into the design of personalized technology learning systems, such as games and simulations for use in math and science classrooms.
“The potential benefits of these technologies in society, particularly in health and education, are immeasurable within the next few years,” Erlebacher said. “We are witnessing history unfold in real time.”
For the full schedule of presentations, events, topics, presenter details and more, visit datascience.fsu.edu/event/aimlx25.
AIMLX25 is sponsored by FSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, College of Communication and Information, School of Information, Department of Computer Science, Department of Scientific Computing, Department of Mathematics, Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics, Department of Statistics and the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship.