What happens when a technology powerful enough to transform society could also threaten it? Inspired by the documentary The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, Babson College experts Patti Patria and Kristi Girdharry explore the promises, risks, and realities of artificial intelligence in higher education. Patria is the chief information officer at Babson, guiding the College’s use of AI and supporting academic AI initiatives while managing risk through policy and technology. Girdharry is an associate teaching professor and co-leader of The Generator, Babson's interdisciplinary AI lab, who describes herself as engaging AI critically from its "unsettled middle." In this episode, they explore how higher education must evolve, teaching not just AI fluency but also the critical thinking, ethics, and human judgment that no algorithm can replace. At the center of the conversation is entrepreneurial leadership and the ability to embrace emerging technologies while putting people, values, and responsible decision-making first. Show Notes Trailer- The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvq-jYira9I Article: ‘The AI Doc’ Is Probably the Scariest Movie You’ll See All Year https://www.kqed.org/arts/13986980/the-ai-documentary-review-daniel-roher-how-i-became-an-apocaloptimist About Patty Patria Babson Magazizne: Babson CIO Patty Patria on Leading in Technology and the AI Transformation https://entrepreneurship.babson.edu/people-of-babson-patty-patria/ Babson Thought & Action: Babson CIO Patty Patria Earns ORBIE Award for Technology Leadership https://entrepreneurship.babson.edu/patty-patria-orbie-award/ About Kristi Girdharry Babson Magazine: How a Writing Professor Embraces AI at Babson https://entrepreneurship.babson.edu/office-hours-kristi-girdharry/ “ A writing professor’s new task in the age of AI: Teaching students when to struggle” by Kristi Girdharry https://theconversation.com/a-writing-professors-new-task-in-the-age-of-ai-teaching-students-when-to-struggle-276590