The event will begin on May 28 with a unique “student hearing” (17:00-19:00), led by Professor Anna Giza-Poleszczuk. This will be a space where students will share their experiences, doubts and proposals about the role of AI in education. This is the voice of those who are already learning today in the new reality – and will co-create it tomorrow. The conclusions of the meeting will be presented to the university authorities and will become the starting point for further debates.
The conference will be officially opened on May 29 at 9:00 a.m. by UW Rector, Prof. Zygmunt Lalak, Vice Rector for Research at the University of Warsaw. The opening lecture at 10:00 a.m. will be delivered by Prof. Neil Selwyn – an internationally recognized expert on the impact of new technologies on education.
Further discussions will take place in two parallel tracks:
Track for the UW community – three strategic debates will be held as part of this track, during which the discussion will focus on the future of the university, strategies for the development of higher education, and the practical challenges of implementing AI technologies at the University of Warsaw.
- “What kind of university do we want in the face of AI development?” (May 29, 2:00 pm) – a debate on the mission, values and identity of the university in a changing world, during which student demands developed the day before in a “student hearing” will be presented. With the participation of, among others, Prof. Ewa Krogulec (current UW Vice Chancellor for Development) and Prof. Anna Giza-Poleszczuk (UW Vice Chancellor for Development in 2012-2019), we will talk about the role of the university as a space for shaping community, defending academic culture and responding to the social effects of the automation of knowledge. The debate will be moderated by Prof. Katarzyna Śledziewska – Managing Director of DELab UW.
- “What strategy do universities need in the age of AI? From vision to action” (May 29, 4:00 pm) – a conversation about concrete solutions that will allow universities, including the University of Warsaw, to respond effectively to the challenges of GenAI development. Strategies based on diversity, inclusivity and accountability will be discussed by Robert Grey (UW Chancellor), Dr. Zuzanna Hazubska (M.Sc.) and Dr. Elżbieta Jaskulska (WA UW, URK UW), and moderated by Prof. Magdalena Słok-Wódkowska – head of DELab UW’s Digital Market Regulatory Change Research Laboratory, Equality Officer of UW’s WPiA.
- “Practices of applying GenAI in universities” (May 29, 5:00 pm) – the debate will revolve around the recently released report “Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in research” by Dr. hab. Jaroslaw Chodak and Dr. Kamil Filipek from the Univeristy of Maria Curie Sklodowska. Together with the authors of the report and Prof. Anna Mierzecka (WDIB UW), we will talk about smart tools that can make a real difference in the efficiency of a scientist’s work. The talk will also compare the conclusions of the above-mentioned report with those of the report “Generative AI at UW – good practices” by DELab UW.
Scientific track (international) – aimed at researchers and educators from around the world. During the two-day conference, the latest research results and projects on the use of generative AI in education and science will be presented. Invited guests will include. prof. Peter Kahn of the University of Manchester and many other respected specialists. The track will include a debate:
- “The Fix or the Break? GenAI in Higher Education” (May 29, 11:30 a.m.) – The opening debate with Prof. Selwyn, Prof. Kahn and Prof. Lalak, moderated by Prof. Renata Włoch (Scientific Director of DELab UW), will attempt to capture the global tensions between technological enthusiasm and the need for reflection and accountability. The discussion will focus on the opportunities and risks of using GenAI in education, asking whether new tools fix what doesn’t work – or, on the contrary, tear down what still has value.
The conference “GenAI in Higher Education” is the first event of its kind in Poland – a space for the exchange of knowledge and experience among the entire academic community and jointly working out the directions of development at a crucial moment for the future of universities. We cordially invite all members of the academic community of the University of Warsaw to actively participate in the conference. Let’s jointly consider what university education should be today – open to technological challenges, socially responsible and rooted in academic values.
📅 Detailed program and registration: https://delab.uw.edu.pl/ai-conference-2025