The stubborn art of being human: A symposium on AI, students, and the future of higher education

The Australian Technology Network of Universities (ATN) presents The stubborn art of being human: a symposium on AI, students, and the future of higher education, a free in-person and online event on Thursday, 19 November, 11:00am to 4:30pm (AEDT). In March 2025, our symposium GenAI: Graduate skills and employability left us with a challenge: be bold, be brave, be curious, and treat AI as a tool that augments human skills rather than replacing them. Eighteen months on, we are checking in. What played out how we thought? What didn't turn out the way we expected? And what has changed that nobody saw coming? This year, students are at the centre of the conversation. You will hear from students about how they really use AI and how they feel about their futures; from employers about what they now need from graduates; and from educators who are redesigning curriculum and assessment in real time. Then our academics will debate that you could replace them with an AI and no-one would notice. Students get the last word. Expect honest, sometimes uncomfortable conversations, with a constructive purpose: working out what universities, students and industry can do together so that educators can prepare the graduates of tomorrow for the workforce of the future, and so that the things only humans can do are the things we guide our graduates to do best. Who should attend • Students and recent graduates who want a say in how education changes • Educators, academic leaders and learning designers across tertiary education • Employers across small, medium and large enterprises who hire graduates and upskill their workforces • Policy makers and anyone interested in the future of work and learning Program: • Keynote | Mohammad Chowdhury (Founder and CEO of Long Street Advisors & Visiting Fellow at UTS) • Student Panel | (Re)claiming the art of learning in an AI-enabled world • Industry Panel | Hire the human: What employers need from graduates now • Curriculum Panel | Teaching the stubborn art: Curriculum, assessment and credit when AI can do the homework • Hypothetical Discussion | You could replace each of us with an AI and no-one would notice • Student Reflections | The last word: What should we be stubborn about? Find out more about the Australian Technology Network of Universities at www.atn.edu.au