AI in Academia Coffee Hour is an ongoing peer discussion series designed to engage a broad cross-section of UW–Madison students, instructors, researchers, faculty, and staff in discussions around the impact of AI on academia and the challenges and opportunities that it brings. Each session will focus on a timely theme or question where there are no easy answers, offering participants a space to share different perspectives and advance the campus conversation on these issues. The format features brief, real-world case studies, problems, or scenarios presented by campus partners, followed by time for group discussion and feedback.
The series serves as an opportunity to gather individual feedback for the ongoing work of the AI Readiness and Competency Working Group. AI in Academia Coffee Hour is a collaborative effort sponsored by the RISE-AI Collaboration HQ, the UW–Madison Libraries, the Data Science Institute, the College of Computing and AI, the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Mentoring, along with the AI Readiness and Competencies Working Group.
Read the story, “UW–Madison designates 2026 as the ‘Year of AI Readiness and Competency’”.
AI in Academia Coffee Hour Dates
By bringing different campus constituencies together, the program hopes to deepen the level of institutional engagement and build a stronger community exploring the issues and opportunities around AI in academia.
**For sessions at the Memorial Library, your campus ID (Wiscard) is required for entrance into the building. Please be sure to bring this with you on these dates.
| Topic | Pre-Reading Materials | Date | Time | Location | RSVP |
| AI in Academia Coffee Hour: What are scholars for? | Leiden Declaration | Monday, October 5 | 11:00am-12:00pm | **Digital Scholarship Hub (Memorial Library, rm 224) | RSVP for October 5 |
| AI in Academia Coffee Hour: TBD | TBD | Thursday, October 22 | 11:00am-12:00pm | Steenbock Library (STEM Commons, rm 126) | RSVP for October 22 (not yet available) |
| AI in Academia Coffee Hour: What makes a university AI ready? | TBD | Thursday, November 5 | 11:00am-12:00pm | Steenbock Library (STEM Commons, rm 126) | RSVP for November 5 (not yet available) |
| AI in Academia Coffee Hour: What do we owe our graduate students? | TBD | Thursday, November 19 | 11:00am-12:00pm | **Digital Scholarship Hub (Memorial Library, rm 224) | RSVP for November 19 (not yet available) |
| AI in Academia Coffee Hour: The when, why, and how of AI disclosure. | TBD | Thursday, December 3 | 11:00am-12:00pm | **Digital Scholarship Hub (Memorial Library, rm 224) | RSVP for December 3 (not yet available) |
Frequently asked questions
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How far in advance are topics announced?
Topics will be announced as soon as possible once confirmed.
Are sessions recorded?
At this point in time, sessions are not recorded. In-person attendance is required for participation.
I need to request a reasonable accommodation. How can I do that?
AI in Academia Coffee Hour is committed to creating an inclusive and accessible event. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please contact the RISE-AI Collaboration HQ at rise-ai-hq@datascience.wisc.edu. All requests must be made at least two weeks prior to the event date. We will attempt to implement late requests but cannot guarantee they will be met.
Do I need to RSVP for each session of the series?
An RSVP is not required, but highly encouraged!
How can I be notified for future seminar series dates?
Join our Google Group, ai-in-academia-coffee-hour+subscribe@g-groups.wisc.edu.
Where can I access the pre-reading material?
Please review the table under, “AI in Academia Coffee Hour Dates“. Pre-reading material will be linked in the table as applicable.
Join the AI in Academia Coffee Hour Google Group!
Once added to the Google Group, you will be notified of upcoming dates and receive reminders for the AI in Academia Coffee Hour series.
Google Group: ai-in-academia-coffee-hour+subscribe@g-groups.wisc.edu.