Creative Lead of Microsoft's Global Search and AI Team to Speak at LSU's AI-Focused Symposium

April 9, 2024

BATON ROUGE—The generative AI market size reached $45 billion globally in 2023, and 56% of corporate executives don’t know if their organizations have ethical standards in place for guiding the use of AI tools. Communication professionals who embrace these technologies today are poised to lead the way in shaping the future of the industry.

The LSU Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs’ 2024 John Breaux Symposium, “AI in Mass Communication,” will feature live demos from AI experts and explore its use in communication industries, along with the accompanying ethical considerations.

Chelsea Sparrow, Culture + Creative Lead on the Global Search & AI team at Microsoft, will speak about her experiences driving brand partnerships, curated experiences and innovative storytelling surrounding the company’s AI applications.

"AI technology is here and it's already triggered massive changes across industries,” said Sparrow. “In a constantly evolving technological landscape, it’s incredibly important for emerging practitioners and scholars alike to learn how to use these tools to their advantage."

Sparrow will join Avriel Epps, a computational social scientist and Ph.D. candidate at Harvard University, for a keynote panel, moderated by LSU Executive Vice President and Provost Roy Haggerty, Ph.D., on the cultural and developmental impacts of AI from 6–7 p.m.

The symposium will also feature discussions on practice and pedagogy: 

  • 1–2:45 p.m.: “AI-Powered Pedagogy: Harnessing the Potential for Teaching and Learning.” Panelists are as follows:
    • Ginger Guttner, Communications Manager, LSU School of Veterinary Medicine
    • Henry Hays, Owner of Henry Hays Consulting & Co-founder of DisruptREADY, LSU Adjunct Instructor
    • Roy Heidelberg, Ph.D., LSU Associate Professor, E.J. Ourso College of Business
  • 3–4:45 p.m.: “Real-World Innovators: A Crash Course in AI Communication Practice.” Panelists are as follows:
    • John Munsell, AI Marketing Strategist, CEO of Bizzuka
    • M.P. Wray, J.D., Founder of Top Drawer Strategies
    • Jordan Gray, Marketing & Public Affairs Manager, Montgomery Parks
  • 5–5:45 p.m.: “An AI Experiment: Planning the 2024 John Breaux Symposium.”

The event is scheduled for Tuesday, April 16, from 1–7 p.m. in the Holliday Forum of the LSU Journalism Building. Admission is free and open to the public. Register for the event on Eventbrite or watch the livestream on the Manship School’s Youtube Channel.

Parking meters located in the West Stadium lot and the Union Square Garage can be accessed from East Campus Drive. Visitor parking is available on the second, third and fourth floors of the garage for $1.50 per hour. For more information about visitor parking at LSU, visit the LSU Parking website.

For more information, contact acharbonnet1@lsu.edu.

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