Falling Into AI: A Campus-Wide Exploration of AI in Education, Research, and Health

Falling Into AI was a weeklong, campus-wide initiative at the University of Kansas exploring the role of artificial intelligence in education, research, and health care. The program brought together faculty, students, researchers, and professionals through keynote talks, panel discussions, role-based breakout sessions, and open lab demonstrations. Led by Lisa Dieker and Ed Hudson, and featuring Google experts, the event showcased real-world AI applications while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration. The initiative emphasised intentional and strategic AI adoption, strengthened institutional partnerships, and supported hands-on learning across multiple campuses and disciplines.

Falling Into AI was implemented as a coordinated, weeklong event across the University of Kansas, involving multiple campuses, centres, and partner organisations. The program began with a keynote delivered by Google experts, followed by panels and role-based breakout sessions tailored to different audiences.

Throughout the week, AI-focused labs and centres hosted open houses, allowing participants to observe demonstrations, engage with peers, and explore applied AI use cases. The event design prioritised accessibility, cross-disciplinary exchange, and experiential learning, while reinforcing KU’s intentional approach to AI adoption and strengthening collaboration between academic units and external partners.

Impact was assessed using participation, collaboration, and organisational development indicators. Engagement was tracked through attendance at campus-wide open houses and site visits hosted by AI-focused labs and centres, including FLITE, CPPR, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the Institute for Information Sciences.

Qualitative indicators focused on cross-unit collaboration emerging from breakout sessions, lab demonstrations, and fireside discussions. The event helped formalise sustained cooperation across participating centres and contributed to the launch of a recurring monthly AI think tank, extending conversations initiated during the week.

Additional indicators include strengthened institutional partnerships, particularly with Google, and increased alignment between KU and KUMC around the development of a unified AI research organisation. Ongoing evaluation uses collaboration metrics such as meeting frequency, cross-unit participation, idea generation, and perceived value to assess longer-term impact.

• Campus-wide coordination across AI-focused labs and centres
• Strategic partnership with Google
• Role-based breakout sessions and experiential learning formats
• Open lab demonstrations and site visits
• Ongoing AI think tank for sustained collaboration