WATCH: From Apocalypse to Opportunity: What AI Means for the Future of Education

What happens when a technology powerful enough to transform society could also threaten it?

Inspired by the documentary The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, Babson College experts Patty Patria and Kristi Girdharry explore the promises, risks, and realities of artificial intelligence in higher education.

Patria is the chief information officer at Babson, guiding the College’s use of AI and supporting academic AI initiatives while managing risk through policy and technology. Girdharry is an associate teaching professor and co-leader of The Generator, Babson’s interdisciplinary AI lab, who describes herself as engaging AI critically from its “unsettled middle.”

In this 10th episode of Season 2 of Babson’s podcast, “From Problems to Possibilities: Entrepreneurial Leadership in Action,” they explore how higher education must evolve, teaching not just AI fluency but also the critical thinking, ethics, and human judgment that no algorithm can replace. At the center of the conversation is entrepreneurial leadership and the ability to embrace emerging technologies while putting people, values, and responsible decision-making first.

Watch the full interview with Patria, Girdharry, and podcast host Kara Baskin in the video above. And listen to the podcast episode on Apple, Spotify, and Amazon, or here: