In this episode of When Tech Meets Ed, Prof. Jie Ren sits down with Dr. Mark Silver to explore technology through what he calls "The Consequence Lens." Together, they discuss how technological advancements, from past digital transformations to today's AI, shape and are shaped by both individual behavior and society at large. The conversation highlights the active role users play in adopting and employing technology and examines the trade-offs between benefits and (often unintended) negative consequences, such as privacy violations. Drawing on real-world examples, they offer practical insights and guidance for students and professionals to think more critically about the broader implications of the technologies they use and how they use them.

Host and Executive Producer: Jie Ren Producer: Olakunle Davies Additional Production: Victoria Ilano, Jeffrey Haynes Cover Art: Paola Curcio-Kleinman Artwork: "Emotion and Logic" by Jie Ren Marketing: Paola Curcio-Kleinman Music: ”The Epic Hero” by Keys of Moon

In this episode, Prof. Jie Ren is joined by cybersecurity expert Dr. Shoufu Luo to explore the evolving intersection of AI and cybersecurity, particularly in detection and response. They discuss how AI is used in both defensive and offensive contexts across industries, the growing role of social engineering and human factors, whether AI can replace human judgment in security, and how students can prepare for cybersecurity careers in the age of AI.

Host and Executive Producer: Jie Ren Producer: Olakunle Davies Additional Production: Victoria Ilano, Jeffrey Haynes Cover Art: Paola Curcio-Kleinman Artwork: "Emotion and Logic" by Jie Ren Marketing: Paola Curcio-Kleinman Music: ”The Epic Hero” by Keys of Moon

In this episode, Prof. Jie Ren is joined by creativity expert Dr. Kai Wang to explore the intersection of AI and creativity. They discuss what creativity truly means beyond the arts, why it matters in everyday problem-solving and innovation, how AI can augment creative work while keeping humans in the loop, and what advice students can follow to cultivate creativity in the age of AI.

Host and Executive Producer: Jie Ren Producer: Olakunle Davies Additional Production: Hector Madera Jr., Victoria Ilano, Jeffrey Haynes Cover Art: Paola Curcio-Kleinman Artwork: "Emotion and Logic" by Jie Ren Marketing: Paola Curcio-Kleinman Music: ”The Epic Hero” by Keys of Moon