Should We Ban AI in Higher Education?
An Oxford-style stage debate on AI in Higher Education.
Students are already using GenAI to study, write, code (and cheat, oops!), while universities struggle to redefine teaching, assessment, and academic integrity to adequately prepare students. What is the solution? An outright ban?
This Oxford-style debate presents two opposing views on one controversial motion: “This House Believes That AI should never be used within Higher Education.” We’re bringing a philosopher, computer scientists, a policy expert, and your fellow students together to go head-to-head! Join us to hear their views, share your own, and vote for which arguments you find the most compelling!
"Should We Ban AI in Higher Education?" has been co-organized by Young AI Leaders Linz and the FWF Cluster of Excellence Knowledge in Crisis, in partnership with Blue Danube Speakers (Toastmasters Linz) and the FWF Cluster of Excellence Bilateral AI.
Our Expert Speaker Lineup
Bram van Haver is the lead Project Officer for UNESCO's flagship global intercultural leadership programme, "Youth for Peace: UNESCO Intercultural Leadership Programme".
Dr. Tim Crane is Special Advisor to the Rector and Professor of Philosophy at CEU, Director of Research at the FWF Cluster of Excellence Knowledge in Crisis, and former Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge.
Anamaria-Roberta Hartl is a PhD candidate at the JKU's Institute for Machine Learning and a member of the Bilateral Artificial Intelligence (BilAI) project, an FWF Cluster of Excellence.
Dr. Erich Kobler is Assistant Professor for Machine/ Deep Learning in Medical Imaging at the JKU's Institute for Machine Learning and a member of the Bilateral Artificial Intelligence (BilAI) project, an FWF Cluster of Excellence
Event Snapshot
5:10 PM — Registration and doors open
5:30 PM — Program starts
5:30–5:40 PM — Welcome, event introduction, debate format, and house rules
5:40–5:50 PM — Motion contextualisation speech by Niklas Baumgärtler, Area Director of Toastmasters Linz
5:50–6:25 PM — Main debate session
6:25–6:30 PM — Vote!
6:30–6:55 PM — Q&A
6:55–7:00 PM — Closing remarks and transition to post-debate socials
Post-Debate Reception (Application Required) Following the main debate at 7:00 PM, we are hosting an exclusive networking reception for speakers, education stakeholders, and a select number of students. If you want to continue the conversation in a smaller setting with our expert panel (Bram van Haver, Dr. Tim Crane, Anamaria-Roberta Hartl, and Dr. Erich Kobler), space is strictly limited.
🔗 Apply Here to request an invitation. (Note: Registering for the main debate does not guarantee entry to the reception).