AI Experts Inspire Students on the Workforce of the Future

CSUN students, alumni and community leaders explored the workforce of the future through the lens of AI experts during a Nov. 19 symposium at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts.
 
Hosted by the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, the Workforce of the Future symposium featured welcome remarks by Nazarian College Dean Chandra Subramaniam and CSUN Provost Meera Komarraju, a keynote by Jesús Mantas, global managing partner, IBM Consulting, and a panel discussion on AI and its transformative power.
 
Participating in the panel discussion, moderated by Nazarian College’s Robert Sheridan, were Stephen Cheung, president of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation and the LA World Trace Council, Karina Montilla Edmonds, senior vice president and global head of academies and university alliances of SAP, and Cameron Kinloch, CFO of Weights & Biases, and Mantas.
 
In his welcome remarks, Subramaniam said Nazarian College is preparing its students to excel in a workforce that AI will dominate.
 
“What we are doing at Nazarian College is engaging in terms of how to use and apply AI in several of the different things that we do—so it’s not just in the classroom,” Subramaniam said. “It’s also a co-curricular activity because we need to make sure that our students understand where the market is going.”
 
Mantas, a prominent figure in the field of AI with extensive experience leading AI-driven business transformations, has been instrumental in integrating AI into various business operations. He shared his extensive experience and thoughts regarding the emerging technology with the audience.
 
“We have a very powerful technology that is very likely going to change society,” Mantas said. He noted that “AI is a superpower” but that it will not replace human creativity.
 
During the panel discussion, Sheridan asked each panelist to provide one piece of AI-related advice for CSUN students:
 
Cameron Kinloch, Weights & Biases—”Test out all the AI tools you can get your hands on and that will be so valuable for you going forward.”
 
Stephen Cheung, LAEDC—”If you’re in school, you’re trying to learn; but if you use ChatGPT to basically deliver everything, you’re not learning anything. Use it as a tool but don’t rely on it.”
 
Karina Montilla Edmonds, SAP—”You really need to practice those critical thinking skills. Stay curious and continue to learn how to embrace AI and figure out how it can make your life easier.”
 
Jesús Mantas, IBM –“The most successful people in the future (will be) the people who can use the right brain and the left brain combined—and that means bringing art and technology, creativity and discipline (together) at the same time because that is what AI is not going to be great at.”
 
Nazarian College’s Workforce of the Future is a recurring symposium designed to encourage intellectual curiosity, intellectual courage and a lifelong commitment to learning.
 
Watch the highlight and event video.