Beyond the Algorithm: Where are the Students in the Future of AI?
ROOM: AM104, Alan MacDiarmid Building
Speaker: Tatenda Tavingeyi
From Law and Commerce students in Pipitea campus to Arts and Science in Kelburn, Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer an abstract concept. It has become part of our daily life, from academia on and off campus to personal use. Despite this, students are rarely at the table when decisions get made about how these tools are used and shaped, decisions that should reflect student voices.
In this talk, Tatenda Tavingeyi explores a key question for current students at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington (THW—VUW) and beyond: how can we collectively move from being passive consumers of AI technologies to active shapers of their future, ensuring these technologies reflect our needs rather than those of institutions and big tech?
Drawing on An AI of Our Own’s work in Cambodia and South Africa, where communities have built small, transparent, non-extractive AI models to preserve cultural heritage and assert data sovereignty, the talk draws powerful parallels to Aotearoa New Zealand. It confronts pressing campus issues, including intellectual property rights in the age of generative AI, and the often-unnoticed exploitation of student data by big tech, while reframing the narrative around "useful" degrees.
Far from being obsolete, noncoding disciplines are positioned as essential: Law students as policymakers, Arts students as cultural interpreters and ethicists, and Commerce students as algorithm auditors.
ROOM: AM104, Alan MacDiarmid Building