Global gathering explores Agentic AI and the Student Experience

The three-day event brought together 650+ global education and industry leaders from across 22 countries and over 250 universities.

Stephanie King

November 6, 2025

Universities have long played an important role in the development of artificial intelligence.

“As AI rapidly evolves, envisioning its potential to enrich the student experience has never been more important,” said Lev Gonick, chief information officer at ASU, last month at Agentic AI and the Student Experience.

From October 22-24, over 600 education and industry leaders from around the world convened in Tempe for a three‑day event exploring how next‑generation AI transforms higher education, student agency and workforce readiness.

“We designed this convening not just to explore the capabilities of AI, but to shape its direction with equity, purpose and students at the center,” Gonick continued.

A global stage for bold ideas

Hosted by ASU and its partners, attendees from more than 285 institutions, organizations and companies gathered to meet the moment of agentic AI: intelligent systems capable of autonomous decision‑making and deep personalization. The convening featured over 40 sessions, including keynotes, breakout workshops and panels, all framed by the question: How do we design these systems to enhance human agency rather than diminish it?

This high-energy lineup ensured a dynamic exchange of ideas and tangible takeaways on how agentic AI can shape the future of teaching, learning, advising and workforce development.

Industry leaders supported the event: Amazon Web Services, CollegeVine, Microsoft, ServiceNow, Robots & Pencils, Handshake, Deloitte, Nice, IBM, Google, Zoom, Cloudflare, Glean, Carahsoft, Intraedge, GSV Ventures and MicroAge, alongside media partners The Chronicle of Higher Education and Element451.

Interactive workshops: Where ideas met action

Day 1 brought five high‑energy workshops, offering participants an interactive look at agentic AI in practice — from adaptive tutoring prototypes to multi‑step advising agents.

The standing room-only workshop “Hands-on with ASU’s CreateAI: Building agentic AI for education” allowed participants to get an interactive demonstration of ASU’s in-house AI toolset CreateAI for the first time. Amaz Taufique, director at the University of Toronto, enjoyed experimenting with CreateAI, and plans to continue to do so. “[CreateAI] is very thoughtfully built,” Taufique said. “Its user-focused and reduces the barrier for entry significantly, while focusing heavily on privacy, security and safety.”

The relationship between AI and student agency

Insightful keynotes set the tone each day of the global gathering. During “Learning Without Limits: Access, Agency and AI,” ASU President Michael M. Crow argued that students’ intrinsic curiosity and autonomy should drive systems rather than passive consumption.

“AI is the first tool that allows us to both confront technological threats and change in opportunities,” Crow said. “You don’t succumb to the technological disruption but create new sociological opportunities from the technological opportunities. We never had anything like that that worked in both directions.” More from President Crow’s keynote

Later, Amazon AGI SF Lab cognitive scientist Danielle Perszyk explained that what makes agentic AI transformative isn’t just its ability to automate tasks, but its potential to redefine what learning looks and feels like: adaptive, personalized and grounded in each learner’s intrinsic motivation.

Additional keynotes and fireside dug deep into topics like the power of data; the state of AI in higher education, industry and the marketplace; and “how nothing happens until something moves”; and engaging neurodiverse leaders with AI.

A space for major announcements and moments of recognition

The event was marked by several major announcements that underscored the power of collaboration, innovation and purpose in shaping the future of AI in higher education:

A new partnership was unveiled between ASU, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and Cintana Education, which will combine cloud technologies, academic research and a global university network to co-create agentic AI solutions that directly support students and transform the higher education experience worldwide.

Also on Day 2, the inaugural 2025 Humanitarian Award was presented to Opened Culture CEO Angela Gunder, honoring her enduring contributions to the field — not only in advancing AI, but in humanizing it. Her work exemplifies leadership, compassion and systems change, reinforcing the principle that ethical, equitable innovation must be built with people at the center.

On Friday, ASU and Microsoft announced they will bring Xbox Game Camp to Phoenix, merging gaming, VR and AI to expand creative, career-ready learning pathways for students across the region. This will be the first time Xbox Game Camp will be offered in Arizona.

Immersive exploration via VR

Throughout the gathering, attendees had the chance to step inside Dreamscape Learn’s Mobile Learning Pod to explore how ASU students are engaging in biology and other content areas through these transformational and immersive learning experiences. Participants could choose from an Art History learning experience focused on Hagia Sophia, the architectural landmark in Istanbul, Turkey, or chemistry (atoms, structures and bonding).

Jonathan Hill, faculty trainer from Joyce University, had this to say about the experience: “I appreciated the experience from the faculty lens because I can see how it’s the next level for student engagement: to be really immersed in the experience, but also to take away the key concepts and to have the ability to use what they they’ve already learned in a biggest context than the classroom.”

Looking ahead to next year

As attendees reflected on three days of ideas and collaboration, the closing message was clear: this community is well on its way to navigating the era of agentic AI, but success depends on doing it together.

The real challenge lies not just in adopting new tools, but in ensuring our systems and processes remain centered on students, accessible to all and grounded in shared learning.

Plans are already underway to expand the conversation, deepen cross‑sector partnerships and chart the future of student‑centered learning and AI innovation from October 20-22, 2026, again at Omni Tempe Hotel at ASU.