AI Salon Brings Students, Faculty, Staff, and Industry Voices Together for a Dynamic Conversation
The Grenon School of Business hosted a well‑attended salon on March 11, bringing community members and industry experts together for a candid discussion about artificial intelligence (AI) and its growing influence on education, work, and society.
Organized and moderated by Laura Nicole Miller, assistant professor of management and organizational communication and director of graduate business programs, and Michael Lewis, associate professor of management, the event centered on conversation rather than presentation, inviting attendees to explore the benefits, limitations, and ethical questions surrounding AI technologies.
Miller opened the program by highlighting why the salon format matters.
“I wanted to hear the product perspective and the marketing and communications perspective,” she said. “This is meant to be a conversation. We’re not talking at you—we’re learning from you.”
The evening’s featured guest, Matt Baker, an AI‑focused product manager and consultant, helped frame the current tech landscape by demystifying how AI tools are built and used.
Baker noted that students will increasingly encounter AI not as an optional tool but as a core component of the workplace. He encouraged students to focus on qualities that endure beyond technological shifts: “Integrity, initiative, and ingenuity—those are the skills that will carry you through your career.”
A major theme of the evening involved transparency and responsibility in AI use. Students and faculty shared perspectives on academic integrity, creativity, and how AI should or shouldn’t be disclosed. These discussions led to reflections on how AI is different from past technologies.
Lewis emphasized that today’s technology represents a new kind of capability. “What we have today with AI is what I would call agency‑enhancing. It can collect data, analyze markets, and produce reports on its own,” he explained. Lewis also highlighted positive examples of students using AI as a study partner—not a shortcut—to strengthen critical thinking and problem‑solving.
As the event concluded, Baker returned to the core mission of higher education in an AI-driven era, reminding students that while AI can generate information, it cannot replace the human development that occurs through learning, reflection, and community.
The salon sparked lively participation and will serve as a foundation for future campus conversations. Miller encouraged attendees to stay involved as Assumption continues to explore AI thoughtfully and collaboratively.