AI for Society: A Panel Series: Designing AI for Human Growth: How can AI be designed to cultivate (not replace) human capacities like learning, empathy, or creativity?

The AI for Society panel series reimagines the responsible use of AI beyond risk and restraint, focusing instead on how technology can cultivate collective potential and societal well-being.

Each panel will deepen perspectives on building and governing AI that enables communities to thrive. 

This opening panel, “Designing AI for Human Growth” sets the foundation for the series by asking a core design question: How can AI be built to cultivate, rather than displace, human capacities such as learning, empathy, and creativity? Panelists will examine what it means to design AI that actively supports human growth, and how these design choices shape the broader social and institutional impacts explored in the panels that follow.

Moderator

Cameron Kormylo: Assistant Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations at the Mendoza College of Business

Panelists

Nitesh Chawla: Frank M. Freimann Professor of Computer Science and Engineering and the Founding Director of the Lucy Family Institute for Data and Society at the University of Notre Dame, and the Lucy Family Director for Data & AI Academic Strategy, leading the Data, AI and Computing Initiative

Ronald Metoyer: Professor, Computer Science and Engineering Vice President and Associate Provost for Teaching and Learning

Ahmed Abbasi: Joe and Jane Giovanini Professor of IT, Analytics, and Operations; Academic Director of the Ph.D. Program in Analytics IT, Analytics, and Operations

Santosh Kumar Gautam: Associate Professor of Development and Global Health Economics; Director, Master of Global Affairs Major in Sustainable Development; Director, Doctoral Program in Sustainable Development