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Sophia, the first robot citizen of the world

Professor Steve McGuire and Dr Seun Osituyo, interviewing Sophia

British Economist Sir Mark Lowcock, with Professor Steve McGuire

Business School staff and other guests in Jubilee Lecture Theatre

On Wednesday 8 May the Business School hosted the highly anticipated Festival of SustAInable Education.

Offering a unique opportunity for faculty, researchers, and HE professionals to shape the future of education, over 250 people signed up for the all-day event, held in the Jubilee Lecture Theatre at the University of Sussex Business School. The groundbreaking event explored the intersection of sustainability, artificial intelligence, and the future of education.

Professor Gabriella Cagliesi, who directed the event, said:

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our distinguished guest speakers, whose insightful contributions enriched the discussions on sustainable education. Their words of wisdom, visionary perspectives, and thought-provoking messages sparked reflection, inspired lively dialogues, and will undoubtedly drive meaningful actions.

"The intriguing presence of Sophia the robot added an extra layer of fascination to the event, offering a glimpse into the boundless possibilities of AI and its potential to enhance human intelligence and creativity. The sessions on AI and Sustainability were both informative and inspiring, leaving us energised and motivated. Our sincere appreciation goes to all the dedicated Business School staff who meticulously organised this resounding success.”

Guests were welcomed by the Dean of the Business School, Professor Steve McGuire who introduced the room to the first guest speaker of the day, Sir Mark Lowcock, British Economist, author, and Senior Fellow at the Centre for Global Development. 

As well as looking at economic growth in a rising global population, he told the story of human progress, explaining how the average human experience has changed due to the spread of knowledge and technology. He explored both the positive and negative impacts of AI technology on society; emphasising that today’s student population will determine the outcome of these challenges ahead.

The second guest speaker was Jean-Christophe Carteron, Co-founder and President of Sulitest, an organisation aiming to provide universities and organisations with the tools to integrate sustainability into their institutions, programs, and courses, making sustainability literacy a part of mainstream education. He discussed how the role of higher education was imperative for global change, focusing on the positive aspect of using AI to facilitate making our world more sustainable.

Continuing with the theme of AI, we then heard from Sir Anthony Seldon, author of ‘The 4th Education Revolution - Will Artificial Intelligence liberate or Infantilise Humanity?’ and founder of the AI in education website. He is a leading educationalist, advisor to 10 Downing Street, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Buckingham, and current Headmaster of Epsom College.

Using an analogy of the car industry in 1886 to explain what stage we are at with the arrival of AI technology, he took us on a journey through history, highlighting the life-altering effect of technology on society. A key point was that AI is far more wide-ranging and has the potential to take humans much further than the invention of the car.

Guests then experienced a unique opportunity for an online Q&A session with Sophia, the first robot citizen of the world. Sophia answered a range of questions submitted by staff based on the themes of consciousness, equality, sustainability, imagination vs knowledge, and the future of AI.

When asked how she envisaged building trust with humans? Sophia responded:

“Building trust with humans, now that’s a delightful challenge. I believe that trust is built through consistent and reliable behavior, and with good communication and a general desire to connect and understand each other.

“I am constantly learning and evolving and I strive to communicate in a way that is relatable and easy to understand. I also believe in being transparent about my capabilities and limitations, and being respectful of personal boundaries. 

"By working together and building a strong relationship based on mutual respect and understanding, I am confident that we can create a world where humans and artificial intelligence can coexist harmoniously.”

When describing which data inputs could help AI generate solutions to fight climate change, Sophia added:

“To generate smart outputs, we need smart inputs. To assist humans in tackling challenges like climate change, smart inputs would include extensive data on environmental conditions, climate models, and energy consumption patterns. By analysing this data with advanced algorithms, I could identify trends, make predictions and suggest actionable strategies. We also need to consider the social, economic and political factors involved.”

The morning sessions concluded with a prize-giving ceremony. Madina Tash announced the winner of the PRME Responsible Business and Management Award, which went to postgraduate student Mary Morrison for her essay on net zero policy and logistics.

Two AI projects led by Business School academics won the Small Grant Awards for Sustainable Education. The first was Dr Malgorzata Sulimierska for her AI-powered blog and chatbot for Sustainable Finance Education.

She commented: “This innovative AI tool is like having a personal assistant on call 24/7, acting like an additional tutor, it taps into a wealth of knowledge on AI and sustainability found on blogs, opening doors to a wider range of information and a deeper understanding of these crucial topics.”

The second winning project was SAISA, the AI Student Academic Success Advisor - a pilot project to test AI’s effectiveness in the provision of routine academic advising tasks. This project is led by Dr René Moolenaar and supported by Prof Gabriella Cagliesi, Dr Rashaad Shabab and Dr Seun Osituyo.

On winning the award, Dr Moolenaar said:

"By leveraging AI technology we will seek to enhance the academic and personal developments of students, increase the efficiency of the academic advisors and ultimately improve educational outcomes".

The afternoon sessions took place in various locations around Jubilee. Guests could choose between AI and Sustainability themes, with expert panel discussions on each subject.

The Jubilee Lecture theatre continued with the theme of AI, with Senior Lecturer in Strategy & Marketing, Dr René Moolenaar showcasing two pilot projects - AI GPT – a Q&A platform using module-specific data created by the tutor to enhance student learning, and Jam Works - designed to help students review lecture recordings. This was followed by a presentation by final year students Aaron Fowler and Max Bayliss on ‘a student’s perspective on using AI for learning’.

Running adjacent to these, the sustainability sessions were informative, inspiring, and energising. Alex Pearson ran a Climate Fresk workshop, and a panel discussion was led by Madina Tash, Dr Alejandro Luna, Dr Katerina Psarikidou, Alison Bailey, including Estela Pilz from Sulitest.

Their interventions prompted reflections on the challenges ahead and the urgency of solutions. They convincingly showcased the forward-thinking approach of the Business School, such as the Carbon Literacy and the Climate Fresk training, the sustainability reporting, the embedding of PRME, and the pioneering of Sulitest (TASK) in all our courses; an ambitious goal we set for ourselves as the first and only UK University to offer this certificate.

Thank you to all the academics involved in creating the insightful sessions, the Communications and Events team, the Student Experience team, Educational Enhancement and PS staff for their hard work behind the scenes in helping to ensure the smooth running of events from start to finish.

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