Artificial intelligence may feel digital and invisible, but the systems powering it have a very real physical footprint. Dive into the infrastructure behind AI — from data centers and energy consumption to environmental and societal impacts — and what the rapid growth of AI means for the future of our digital society.

Panelists

Wendy H. Wong, Professor, University of British Columbia – Okanagan Campus

Wendy H. Wong is Professor and Principal’s Research Chair at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, where her research examines global governance, technology, human rights, and civil society. Her book We, the Data: Human Rights in the Digital Age explores how Big Data and artificial intelligence challenge traditional understandings of human rights and won the 2024 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy. Her current research includes AI and the future of extractive politics, making her an important voice on how emerging technologies intersect with governance, data, power, and individual rights. 

Caroline Gwynn Monagle, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives, R1 RCM

Caroline Gwynn Monagle is Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at R1 RCM, a healthcare technology and services company, where she leads strategic initiatives within an industry undergoing rapid technological transformation. A Georgia Tech alumna, Monagle was recognized as a Georgia Tech 40 Under 40 honoree in 2025 and previously received the Ivan Allen Jr. Legacy Award. Her leadership experience at the intersection of healthcare, technology, strategy, and organizational change brings an industry perspective to the conversation about AI's impact on health and society. 

Marilyn A. Brown, Regents and Brook Byers Professor, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy, Georgia Institute of Technology

Marilyn A. Brown is Regents’ and Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems in Georgia Tech’s Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School of Public Policy and Director of the Climate and Energy Policy Laboratory. Before joining Georgia Tech, she held leadership roles at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and later served as a presidentially appointed member of the Tennessee Valley Authority Board. Her research examines energy policy, efficiency, electricity systems, clean-energy technologies, and resilience, providing critical expertise on the rapidly growing relationship between artificial intelligence, energy demand, infrastructure, and sustainability. 

How is artificial intelligence changing the way knowledge is created? Examine AI's growing role in academic research, including how researchers use emerging tools to accelerate discovery, approach complex questions, and navigate the ethical and practical implications of AI-assisted scholarship.

Panelists

Sebastian Porsdam Mann, Assistant Professor CeBIL, University of Copenhagen

Sebastian Porsdam Mann is Assistant Professor at the University of Copenhagen’s Center for Advanced Studies in Bioscience Innovation Law. With training spanning philosophy, neuroscience, applied ethics, and international human rights law, his research examines how emerging technologies can advance scientific progress while navigating ethical and regulatory challenges. His work has directly explored generative AI in academic writing and idea generation, as well as AI's potential role in the future of academic peer review, positioning him to address both the opportunities and risks AI creates throughout the research process. 

Kevin Mills,  Head of Education and Government GTM, OpenAI

Kevin Mills is Head of Education and Government Go-to-Market at OpenAI, where his work focuses on expanding the responsible use of artificial intelligence across educational and public-sector institutions. His work includes initiatives supporting the adoption of AI tools in education, including ChatGPT Edu and partnerships focused on helping students, educators, and institutions develop practical experience using AI. He brings an industry perspective on how AI tools are moving from experimentation into real academic and institutional environments. 

Sarah H. Salter, Director of the Writing Program & Professor of Pedagogy, Emory University

Sarah H. Salter is a Teaching Professor and Director of the Writing Program at Emory University whose research focuses on American literature, periodical studies, collaboration, and digital humanities. Her scholarship has included interdisciplinary work using machine-learning methods to analyze the visual structures of historical newspapers, combining literary study, library science, and computational approaches. Her perspective brings an important humanities dimension to the conversation about how computational tools and AI are changing research methods, scholarly interpretation, writing, and knowledge production. 

Allegra Smith, Assistant Professor of Technical Communication, S School of Literature, Media, and Communication, Georgia Institute of Technology

Allegra Smith is an Assistant Professor in Georgia Tech’s School of Literature, Media, and Communication whose research examines technical and professional communication, digital technologies, user experience, access, and equity. Her teaching and research include work involving generative AI, digital communication, and undergraduate research, alongside extensive scholarship on how people interact with technology. She brings a valuable perspective on how AI is affecting research, writing, communication, pedagogy, and the experiences of the people using these emerging tools. 

This event is part of the Ivan Allen Advantage Alumni Speaker Series. Refreshments will be provided. All Georgia Tech students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend. A limited number of 1:1 and small-group mentorship slots will be available to students who RSVP for the event.    

About the Speakers

Edward V. Byrns Jr. is a triple-degree recipient from Georgia Tech, holding a Ph.D. in Engineering, an M.S. in Economics, and an M.S. in Engineering. While a graduate student, he realized that his academic interests spanned engineering and social sciences. Georgia Tech was the ideal institution to build a bridge between both. For over 25 years, Byrns has been working in commodity and weather markets, and he currently heads the climate risk team at Atrium Underwriting, a syndicate of Lloyd’s of London. Byrns has been an entrepreneur at the intersection of insurance underwriting, commodity trading, and analytic technology. He founded a startup, held quantitative leadership positions, and briefly served as an adjunct professor. His career trajectory reflects a consistent drive to translate technical insights into market-based tools for addressing large-scale global challenges.   

Amy Phuong is vice president of government relations for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. This position is an expansion of the Atlanta Hawks’ External Affairs efforts to unite the broader Atlanta community through the play of basketball while deepening the organization’s relationships with local and state leaders. Amy is responsible for the Hawks’ strategic government and external affairs strategy which includes managing various lobbying efforts and policy regulation. She served as Chief Operating Officer for Saving Our Atlanta Region’s Residents (SOARR), a regionally coordinated, cross-sector response to the growing eviction crisis of renters in Atlanta, as an Executive on Loan in 2021. In this role, she was responsible for helping to operationalize this effort by bringing together public and private resources and a diverse set of civic leaders to keep families stabilized and housed for the duration of Covid-19.

Celebrate the start of the academic year with the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. The annual State of the College Address will highlight immediate and long-term priorities for the College while recognizing the achievements of students, faculty, and staff.

Following the address, attendees are invited to stay for a reception with faculty, staff, students, and alumni from across our College and the Georgia Tech community.

During this session, you’ll gain an inside look at the program’s curriculum and the interdisciplinary training provided, hear about diverse career pathways available to graduates, and learn directly from current students about their experiences in and beyond the classroom. We’ll also walk through admissions requirements and highlight funding opportunities to help you plan your next steps with confidence.

During this session, you’ll gain an inside look at the program’s curriculum and the interdisciplinary training provided, hear about diverse career pathways available to graduates, and learn directly from current students about their experiences in and beyond the classroom. We’ll also walk through admissions requirements and highlight funding opportunities to help you plan your next steps with confidence.

During this session, you’ll gain an inside look at the program’s curriculum and the interdisciplinary training provided, hear about diverse career pathways available to graduates, and learn directly from current students about their experiences in and beyond the classroom. We’ll also walk through admissions requirements and highlight funding opportunities to help you plan your next steps with confidence.

During this session, you’ll gain an inside look at the program’s curriculum and the interdisciplinary training provided, hear about diverse career pathways available to graduates, and learn directly from current students about their experiences in and beyond the classroom. We’ll also walk through admissions requirements and highlight funding opportunities to help you plan your next steps with confidence.

What does creativity mean when machines can generate images, music, writing, and other forms of creative work? Explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping creative industries, changing the relationship between technology and human expression, and raising new questions around authorship, originality, labor, and the future of creative work.

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable of conversation, companionship, and emotional responsiveness, what happens to our understanding of human connection? Unpack AI, empathy, intimacy, and relationships while considering what it means to form meaningful connections in an increasingly AI-mediated world.

The IAC Dinner with Alumni series offers a unique opportunity to hear about different career paths, gain insights from alumni experiences, ask questions, and build connections that can last beyond the dinner table.

RSVP Link Coming Soon.

The IAC Dinner with Alumni series offers a unique opportunity to hear about different career paths, gain insights from alumni experiences, ask questions, and build connections that can last beyond the dinner table.

RSVP to attend.

As part of Georgia Tech's Family Weekend, this is a fantastic opportunity for parents, siblings, and friends to meet professors, leadership, and other faculty/staff who make the Ivan Allen College unique. All students in the Ivan Allen College and their families/guests are welcome to participate (undergraduate and graduate students). Registration for the rest of Family Weekend is not required to participate in our IAC reception. RSVPs are highly encouraged.    

While this event is free, attendees are responsible for their own parking decisions. Guests are encouraged to park in Georgia Tech Visitor Area 1 on North Avenue or Visitor Area 3 on Ferst Drive.    

For questions or concerns, contact IAC Director of Student Engagement and Programming Andrew McGraw at amcgraw@gatech.edu.

Guests will have the opportunity to connect with members of our community, hear inspiring stories, and celebrate the accomplishments of this year’s distinguished honorees. The cost to attend this year’s event is $25 per person, with all proceeds contributed to the Dean’s Scholarship Fund to support the next generation of Ivan Allen College students. Join us for an evening of celebration, connection, and recognition as we honor the incredible alumni who continue to make a difference across the world.