How Will AI Reshape the Classroom?

How is AI reshaping higher education—and where is it headed next? On March 4, as part of the Columbia AI Summit, faculty will lead an interactive session exploring AI’s role in teaching and learning.

Titled “The Columbia Class of 2035: Will We Need to Reinvent Higher Education?”, this session will invite participants to imagine how AI may transform the classroom experience. Facilitators will share insights from Columbia students and prompt discussion on the skills, challenges, and opportunities AI presents in higher education. Session leaders Matthew Connelly (History, Vice Dean of AI Initiatives), Vishal Misra (Computer Science, Vice Dean of Computing and AI), and Amanda Irvin (Center for Teaching and Learning) share thoughts below.

Advance Insights from Session Leaders

Matthew Connelly

This event is about the future, but AI is already transforming higher education. Growing numbers of students use AI in their coursework, while researchers in every discipline are running their own experiments. Columbia has an unmissable opportunity to take the lead. Our work will show how AI can be used ethically and effectively to fulfill what will always be our core mission: teaching students how to teach themselves.

- Matthew Connelly is a Professor of International and Global History and Vice Dean of AI Initiatives at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.

Amanda Irvin

AI is reshaping higher education in real time. It’s changing how students interact with knowledge, how faculty approach teaching, and what it means to assess learning. Our challenge is not just adapting but leading—ensuring AI strengthens, rather than replaces, critical thinking and intellectual exploration.

- Amanda Irvin is Executive Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Vishal Misra

As computer scientists and engineers, we're not just observers in AI's transformation of education - we're the architects of these changes. Every breakthrough in AI, from machine learning to natural language processing, emerges from our labs and classrooms. This puts us in a unique position to shape how AI will enhance learning while ensuring we maintain rigorous technical education. Our role is to bridge the gap between cutting-edge AI technology and its practical, responsible implementation in education.

Vishal Misra is Professor of Computer Science and Vice Dean of Computing and Artificial Intelligence at Columbia Engineering.