Dr James Pitaressi of Binghamton University, United States, will present ‘Beyond Productivity: Why the Future of AI in Education Must Be Human-Centric’ at The Washington DC Conference on Education (WCE2026) and The Washington DC Conference on the Social Sciences (WCSS2026).
Dr Pitaressi’s keynote will discuss examples of human-centric approaches to AI-assisted education from teaching, faculty development, and institutional strategy, drawing on his own expertise as Vice Provost for Online and Innovative Education at Binghamton University and founder of Binghamton’s Innovation Lab and Innovation Scholars programme.
This keynote presentation will be held both onsite in Washington DC and online via live-stream. To participate in WCE/WCSS2026 as an audience member, please register for the conference via the conference website.
The presentation will also be available for IAFOR Members to view online as part of their membership benefits. To find out more, please visit the IAFOR Membership page.
Speaker Biography
James Pitaressi
Binghamton University, United States
Dr James M. Pitarresi serves as Vice Provost for Online and Innovative Education at Binghamton University (SUNY), United States, and as Executive Director of the university’s Center for Learning and Teaching. He works across campus to strengthen the learning environment by advancing high-quality online degrees, supporting faculty development, and promoting thoughtful integration of learning technologies.
He co-chairs the university’s Learning Environment Committee and recently co-chaired planning for a new 30-classroom academic building. A Distinguished Teaching Professor of Mechanical Engineering and former department chair, he founded Binghamton’s Innovation Lab and Innovation Scholars programme and teaches courses in innovation and entrepreneurship that leverage generative AI as a partner for creative problem solving.
He regularly delivers talks and workshops on generative AI in education for higher education, school districts, and professional audiences. His scholarship spans computational mechanics, vibration modeling, electronics packaging, and student success. He is co-author of three mechanical engineering texts, with a fourth in progress, and serves on McGraw Hill Education’s Access Engineering Faculty Advisory Board. He earned his BS, MS, and PhD from the State University of New York at Buffalo, United States, and is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Abstract
Beyond Productivity: Why the Future of AI in Education Must Be Human-Centric
Generative AI has arrived at unusual speed, and the early debate on college campuses has been dominated by two narrow narratives: fear (cheating, plagiarism, and diminished critical thinking) and efficiency gains (faster grading, content creation, and administrative work). This presentation argues that both frames miss a deeper disruption. As parts of knowledge work such as document drafting, synthesis, translation, coding, and analytic writing become widely automated, universities must re-articulate what they uniquely contribute to society. What happens to higher education’s civic mission when producing plausible answers is easy, cheap, and ubiquitous, yet truth, trust, and legitimacy remain fragile?
Drawing on examples from teaching, faculty development, and institutional strategy, this talk offers a human-centric agenda for AI in education that treats AI as a catalyst to strengthen, not erode, the purposes of university learning. Three questions guide the discussion: (1) What forms of thinking and judgment become more important in an AI-shaped knowledge ecosystem? (2) How can we design learning and assessment to cultivate agency, integrity, and deep understanding rather than performative productivity? (3) What leadership choices will shape equity, access, and public trust as AI capabilities diffuse unevenly across institutions and communities?
