About 7 years ago, Jones became interested in the technology behind self-driving cars and began studying AI. He emphasizes that AI has been around a lot longer than most of us realize. “Every time you use Google maps, every time you do an Internet search, you’re using AI,” Jones explains.
In the spring 2023 semester, Jones added basic prompting as part of his class curriculum, including using generative AI to answer questions and validating the information with sources. The addition of AI supplemented the introduction of virtual and augmented reality to team projects in fall of 2022. “I haven’t changed the curriculum, but AI is fully part of all the classes I teach now,” he said.
October through December 2023, he led a professional development series on the AirPark campus to share his research and approach to using AI as a tool in the classroom. In April 2024, he spoke on an AI panel in Montreal, which was well received by the tech and business communities about responsible AI and the development of workforce competencies. Jones will be a featured speaker at the World AI Summit in Amsterdam in October and in Doha, Qatar, in December. In October, he will be a featured speaker about AI at the HR Summit and Expo in Dubai.
In addition to his global speaking engagements, research, and teaching, Jones is exploring publishing opportunities on ethical AI as a tool in the workplace.
“AI is has already transformed how we work and how we live, there’s no going back,” Jones said. “What are the best ways to deploy what’s happening and what’s coming? Of course, there are concerns about negative potential, which is why we need to focus on designing AI to serve our needs and instructing it on what we want it to do, within our guidelines and control.”