Summer of AI Kick-Off Event

The Summer of AI launched with a vibrant Generative AI Showcase hosted at the Siebel Center for Design. This multi-presenter event highlighted diverse and innovative uses of AI across campus. Below are the presentation highlights.

Erin Creuz, CITL 
Supporting Neurodiverse Learners with AI. 13:43
Erin demonstrated how tools like ChatGPT and Copilot can scaffold executive functioning, simplify complex texts, and serve as academic success coaches—especially helpful for students with ADHD, ASD, or executive function challenges.

Yury Burokhovich, CITL
AI Audio Tools: Local Models for Emotive Speech and Sound Generation 22:45
Yury showcased Nari, an emotive speech synthesis tool, and Audio-AI-ian, which generates soundtracks from silent video clips. Both tools run locally, showing what's possible without relying on cloud services.

Alexander Dill, CITL 
Aida the XR AI Assistant 31:34
Alexander presented Aida, an Illinois Chat-powered assistant that helps collect project details for XR designs. Ada interacts conversationally to gather project specs before handing off to a human designer, improving workflow efficiency.

Robert Baird, CITL 
AI versus Escher 44:09
In this presentation, Robert demonstrates AI's ability to mimic the work of m.C. Escher.

Vishal Sachdev, Gies College of Business
Context-Aware AI Workflows with Local Tools 53:27
Vishal demonstrated how AI can be integrated directly into your desktop environment using tools like CloudCode. His live example showed resume evaluation and rubric generation, bringing AI directly to the user's workflow.

Shenika Glover, CITL 
Canva AI for Creative Content 1:02:37
Shenika highlighted Canva’s AI tools for generating music, design suggestions, and mockups. She demonstrated how these tools streamline content creation for marketing and communication purposes.

Przemek Bosak, CITL 1:09:28
Perspectives on AI from Europe and Beyond
Przemek shared international perspectives from recent travels, including how AI is used in digital art restoration in Vienna and precision farming in rural Poland. He also reflected on energy infrastructure as a key factor in AI development.