Deacs.AI

The First Inning of the Artificial Intelligence Ballgame with Guest John Montana

Contributed by Lukas

Stepping up to the plate, John Montana provides insight on how higher education can leverage its unique position to lead the conversation, foster crit...

I Learned How to Use AI by Cheating with Guest Amy Slack

Contributed by Lukas

Amy Slack partners with artificial intelligence for just about everything these days. From meal planning and care giving and research and shopping to...

Quick Dive: The Podcast So Far Recap

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan and Michael reflect on the journey so far, revisiting key conversations and insights from past episodes. They dive into what they’ve learned th...

Making a Call to the AI Bullpen with Guest Mark Anderson

Contributed by Lukas

Can playing with digital action figures actually sharpen your communication skills? When is the right time to call AI for help? Wake Forest's top mess...

Quick Dive: Generative AI Meets Juice Boxes and Homework

Contributed by Lukas

Join Ryan for a solo ride through the creative chaos of parenting with AI. From building trivia games that pit his kids against each other to creating...

Building Better Thinkers: Why STEM Minds Need a Palette of Liberal Arts with Guest Dr. Fred Salsbury

Contributed by Lukas

At the crossroads of hard science and humanities: Dr. Fred Salsbury explores a compelling idea. How does a liberal arts education equip STEM students ...

"It's Complicated": Philosophical Thoughts on Using Generative AI for Learning with Guest Betsy Barre

Contributed by Lukas

The future of intellectual development is at a crossroads. Betsy Barre, Assistant Provost and Executive Director of the Center for Advancement of Teac...

Johnny Cash Singing Barbie Girl and Educators Leveling Up with Generative AI with Guest Elizabeth Ricks

Contributed by Lukas

High school says no. Industry demands yes. Where does Generative Artificial Intelligence fit into the higher education and professional environments? ...

Quick Dive: Crafting Worlds and Slaying Dragons with AI

Contributed by Lukas

It will be hard to out-nerd this episode in the future. Beyond professional applications, AI is becoming a powerful tool for personal passions and hob...

Is the Cost of Knowledge Acquisition Now a Dad Joke? with Guest Shannon McKeen

Contributed by Lukas

We are on the cusp of an educational renaissance, but is it at the cost of human social skills? According to Shannon McKeen, generative artificial int...

Agent Jessica Reynolds: Her Mission, Should You Choose to Accept It... with Guest Tim Synder

Contributed by Lukas

Remember those awkward telethon calls at dinnertime? The University Advancement team came up with a pretty wild idea to connect with alumni across gen...

Quickish Dive: No Holds Barred - Former Student Tells All!

Contributed by Lukas

What has the AI revolution looked like from a student's point of view? We're joined by Gabe Martineau, a recent Wake Forest graduate, who shares his u...

Superheroes in RAGs? with Guest Juan Hernandez

Contributed by Lukas

Wake Forest Professor of Practice Juan Hernandez lives a double life. In his day job, as an industry Head of Artificial Intelligence, he uses AI to pr...

Quick Dive: Unlocking AI at Wake Forest - Workshops, Groups, and More with Guest Sarah Wojcik-Gross

Contributed by Lukas

Where do you even begin with learning about Generative AI on campus? Look no further, as Sarah Wojcik-Gross joins us to navigate the central hub for a...

Remember to Add the Blueberries BEFORE Baking the Muffins with Guest Eudora Struble

Contributed by Lukas

Accessibility innovations make the world a better place for everyone. Audiobooks anyone? Automatic doors. Your AI voice assistant. Director of Techno...

Quick Dive: How the Sausage is Made

Contributed by Lukas

Join Ryan and Michael as they discuss what goes into making the Deacs.AI podcast. It may surprise you to find out that it takes quite a bit of work. F...

Decoding the Black Box: AI, Truth, and the New Arms Race with Guest James Proszek

Contributed by Lukas

Generative AI isn't just a new technology—it's a new frontier in human communication. We're joined by James Proszek, Director of Public Speaking, wh...

Quick Dive: From Socrates to Silicon Valley - How AI is Using Classic Teaching Methods to Help You Master Any Subject

Contributed by Lukas

Take that cheat machines! Smarter learning is here. A cadre of new educational tools from Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic have arrived just in time fo...

The Apricot Dumpling and the Apocalypse: Navigating AI's Promise and Peril with Guest Will Fleeson

Contributed by Lukas

Is your AI conscious? We decided to ask it. Plus, what does an apricot dumpling in Vienna have to do with the future of humanity? For psychology profe...

Quick Dive: When AI Puts Words in Your Mouth

Contributed by Lukas

Ever get stuck recording a simple voice-over, repeating the same line until you're blue in the face? In this quick dive, Michael explores the fascinat...

We Were Supposed to Get Rosie from The Jetsons; Instead, We Got Cheat Machines with Guests ZSR librarians—Amanda Kaufman, Denice Lewis, and Elizabeth Ellis

Contributed by Lukas

In an AI-driven world, how do we teach students to be discerning researchers and critical thinkers? We're joined by a panel of ZSR librarians—Amanda...

Quick Dive: Somebody Please Help Me Understand What An Open Source Model Is

Contributed by Lukas

Our expert guest wasn't available, so we did the only logical thing: we interviewed the machine itself. In a surprisingly clear conversation, ChatGPT ...

What Aristotle, Star Trek, and the Antikythera Mechanism Have to Say About AI Ethics with Guest William Cochran

Contributed by Lukas

Journey through millenia as an ancient Greek philosopher's wisdom collides with advanced modern technology. Tune into this mind-bending conversation w...

The Battle for the Classroom: The Sage on the Stage vs GPT-5 with Guest Raina Haque

Contributed by Lukas

Long before it was planning party catering menus, artificial intelligence technology was giving a young developer a full-blown existential crisis. Wak...

I Think, Therefore AI Am? with Guest Tobias Flattery

Contributed by Lukas

Is it okay to cut off a Tesla? Can you be friends with a chatbot? Should you say "please" and "thank you" to a machine? We sit down with former tech b...

Quick Dive: A Prompt for Every Occasion - Real-World AI Uses

Contributed by Lukas

Ever wondered what people actually do with AI besides writing term papers? In this quick dive, Michael shares some of the most interesting, practical,...

I Spoke, I Coded, I Conquered with Guest Philip Howard

Contributed by Lukas

Finance professor, Philip Howard, will probably take over the world one day. Why? Because he can. How? Just by speaking his ideas into existence. A ne...

The AI Gripes Show

Contributed by Lukas

AI is amazing… most of the time. Join Michael and Ryan, who generally believe in the power of artificial intelligence but are not afraid to point ou...

Quick Dive: Supercharged - A Deep Dive into NotebookLM's Massive Update

Contributed by Lukas

Get ready to explore the game-changing new features that have completely redesigned Google's Notebook LM. In this episode, we're joined by Ryan to bre...

The Oracle of the OPCD Says That Pro Humanitate Will Be Our North Star in the Age of AI with Guest Andy Chan

Contributed by Lukas

Years ago, he declared "Career Services Must Die." Now, as intelligent systems rewrite the rules for professional success, Wake Forest's Vice Presiden...

My Students Used AI on Their Assignments. And I Gave Them an A with Guest Jed Macosko

Contributed by Lukas

What if your final paper wasn't a paper at all, but a custom digital brain you built yourself? Physics professor, and mad scientist, Jed Macosko threw...

The Seduction of Vacuous Competence with Guests Ryan Shirey and Carter Smith

Contributed by Lukas

Generative AI is sold as the ultimate solution to writer's block and creative struggle. We're all tempted by the promise of a perfect, polished resul...

What Happens When Your Finance Department's AI Thinks It's Gandalf with Guests Kim Crewey and Allison Belton

Contributed by Lukas

While they may appear to some as fantastical, university Finance departments are not run with magic. Kim Crewey and Allison Belton are in the trenches...

Quick Dive - Ethically Questionable Playing Around with Suno

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode, Michael experiments with the AI platform Suno to reimagine familiar songs and reflects on the ethical challenges and creative possibi...

Old Man Yells at Clouds with Guest Jason Fanning

Contributed by Lukas

From the soul of an artist to the health of our planet, what is the true price of artificial intelligence? Behavioral psychologist, Jason Fanning, con...

"While True"—The Em Dash of Computer Coding with Guest Sarah Parsons

Contributed by Lukas

Beware of brain rot (yup, we went there)! Computer Science professor and Triple Deac, Sarah Parsons, teaches us that when used properly, AI can be a p...

Red, Yellow, Green: A Framework for AI in the Creative Classroom with Guest Chris Sheridan and William Cochran

Contributed by Lukas

How do you balance academic integrity with necessary innovation? In this episode, Michael and Ryan sit down with Chris Sheridan (Documentary Film Prog...

Turning Your Liberal Arts Degree into an AI Superpower with Guest Bill Zandi

Contributed by Lukas

From Plato to Python, alumnus Bill Zandi proves how his liberal arts degree combined with the power of generative artificial intelligence has removed ...

Building the Holodeck: How AI is Learning Physics

Contributed by Lukas

We have spent the last few years enthralled by Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. But leading researchers at Google DeepMind and Meta are alre...

Augustine in the Algorithm: Can AI Ever Truly Be Conscious?

Contributed by Lukas

As AI begins to simulate human behavior, the lines between "processing" and "understanding" are blurring. But is an AI model actually conscious, or is...

Deacs.AI Live from AI Fest 2025 - Day 1

Contributed by Lukas

Ryan and Michael report from Wake Forest AI Fest 2025 and give their first impressions of some of the presentations and panels that they saw during da...

The Painter's House Needs to be Painted with Guest Jeff Teague

27 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

AI is changing everything, including cybersecurity. Information Security expert Jeff Teague breaks down how artificial intelligence helps protect camp...

Quick Dive: The Gem Rush - Mining for Custom AI

23 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode is a real gem. Forget mass-produced jewelry; we're talking about hand-cut luxury: Gemini Gems. These tiny powerhouses are your own custom...

Blown Away: An Educator’s AI Awakening with Guest Adam Friedman

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How is AI really changing the academic landscape? Education Professor Adam Friedman discusses its impact inside and outside the classroom, learning fr...

Quick Dive: From Code to Composition - How AI is Assisting Creators

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Dive into the practical side of generative AI with Ryan and Michael as they reveal insightful uses for these tools, from developing a new AI-focused w...

Glue on Pizza with Guest Will Tomlinson

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is Generative AI the next Industrial Revolution, or something far more disruptive? Explore the duality of AI: the mind-bending potential and the prof...

Quick Dive: Come Vibe Code with Me with Guest Amy Triana

09 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Amy is playing in the sand again - the AI sandbox, that is. Join her tour of Google's experimental playground, AI Studio. Have you ever wanted to tur...

Six Fingered Zombie Santa with Guest Kevin Frazier

06 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can Artificial Intelligence and the Arts co-exist? Theatre professor Kevin Frazier rifts on how AI tools are opening doors to new forms of creativity...

Quick Dive: Making Of Tales from the AI Frontier

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Watch out Pixar! Go behind the pixels with Michael, creator of Wake Forest's "Tales from the AI Frontier" video series. He pulls back the curtain on u...

Real Life Jack Ryan with Guest Thomas Brister

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Ryan dives into the world of Artificial Intelligence. Beyond the campus, AI is a major player in international relations. Tom Brister brings his ...

Real World AI for Productivity: Insights from Greg Collins

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Can AI really write better emails, take smarter meeting notes, AND plan your dinner? Wake Forest tech leader Greg Collins shares his real-world experi...

Welcome to Deacs.AI: Our Origin Story

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Do you want to know how Wake Foresters are using AI? Join Ryan and Michael as they introduce the DEACS.AI podcast series. They'll explore artificial i...