Watch: Recent Symposium Explores AI in Research

The second event of the University Librarian's Symposium Series, held on March 10, was Research Reimagined: AI's Transformative Power at Rutgers. Nearly 100 people attended the hybrid symposium in person at the Archibald S. Alexander Library in New Brunswick, and an additional 115 people participated online via Zoom. 

Watch the full event video on YouTube. 

The University Librarian’s Symposium Series was launched on November 10, 2025, with an inaugural event that explored artificial intelligence in teaching and learning. The intent of the symposium series is to engage the entire Rutgers community on timely topics in higher education. Currently, the series is focused on Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education. 

Speakers for the March 10 symposium represented diverse disciplines, including biomedical informatics, health artificial intelligence, educational technology, accounting and information systems, psychiatry, musicology, academic publishing, and library science. 

Consuella Askew, vice president for university libraries and university librarian, welcomed the audience with remarks on the series impetus and on the Libraries’ natural role as conveners of meaningful conversations. “We are bringing together primary resources—that's librarian speak—to create space for deep discourse, for the exchange of ideas and practice, and for the collective shaping of knowledge,” she said. 

Michael Zwick, senior vice president for research, delivered opening remarks in which he discussed some of the practical, targeted ways the Rutgers Office for Research is using AI for greater impact and efficiency. “I think AI comes with challenges, and I’m sure you’ll talk about them today,” he said. “But If implemented thoughtfully and with care, this can really help research universities reach their full potential,” he said.

Leslie Lenert, director of the Center for Biomedical Informatics and Health Artificial Intelligence, delivered the keynote, “AI’s Impact on Research and Society,” the theme of which he described to the audience as “preserving human leadership in this era of change.”

Hayet Bensetti-Benbader, director of STEM career, computing, and engineering initiatives at Douglass Residential College, discussed common AI misconceptions and realities, ethical considerations, and what responsible use of AI in research looks like in her talk, “No, It Doesn't Think: AI, Ethics, and the Illusion of Intelligence.”

Hussein Issa, associate professor, Accounting and Information Systems, Rutgers Business School–Newark and New Brunswick, presented “Research Assistant or Researcher? AI's Advantages, Pitfalls, and Applications.” Issa emphasized the need for human vetting of material created by generative AI. As an associate editor for multiple journals, he’s seen instances “where you have like 10 different theories and they are all just crammed into one single paper and they don’t make any sense,” he said. “So you know at that point that yes, this is AI-generated.”

Tanya Khanna, a research Associate at Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, presented on “AI Phobia and AI Anxiety in the Context of Social Media.” Sonia Yaco, emerging technologies librarian at Alexander Library, discussed “AI Strategies to Find Insights in Historic Manuscripts.”

The final portion of the symposium program was a panel on “AI in Research: Tools and Trends.” The panelists were Joanne Dera, science librarian at John Cotton Dana Library; Ann Gabriel, a member of the Global Strategic Networks Team at Elsevier; Sean Lorre, lecturer, Arts Online, Mason Gross School of the Arts, and managing editor of the Journal of Jazz Studies; and Jonathan Torres, business and data services librarian at Dana Library. 

Two additional symposia exploring Artificial Intelligence in Higher Education are being planned for the 2026–2027 academic year. Follow the Libraries on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Threads for details and registration to be announced.