Fall 2026 AI@AU Forum kicks off Thursday, Sept. 3
Published: Aug 31, 2026 7:00 AM
By Joe McAdory
This year's AI forum is scheduled to feature five speakers who will discuss : interpretable AI, generative AI as a rhetorical machine, AI and next gen identity research, and quantum computing.
What’s the future of generative artificial intelligence (AI)? How about interpretable AI? How does AI impact quantum computing?
Those questions, and others, will be answered during the Fall 2026 AI@AU Forum lecture series by guest speakers representing academia and industry.
“Artificial intelligence is no longer confined to a single field or application. It is influencing how we communicate, how we understand complex systems, how we think about identity and even how we approach the next generation of computing,” said Gerry Dozier, the McCrary Eminent Chair in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, technical lead for the Auburn University Artificial Intelligence Initiative (AI@AU) and director of the Center for Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity Engineering.
“This semester’s forum reflects that evolution by bringing together perspectives that span technology, society and discovery. Our goal is to create conversations that help the Auburn community better understand where AI is today and where it is headed next.”
The series, open to the public, kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, in 2117 Shelby Center when Giang Nguyen, research scientist at Guide Labs in San Francisco, presents “Language Models You Can Peer Into and Control.” The presentation can also be followed remotely.
Nguyen’s presentation will examine the evolution of AI interpretability, from traditional explanation tools to inherently interpretable language models designed to reveal how and why they generate responses. It will also demonstrate methods for identifying and reducing bias without retraining models.
He will be followed in later sessions by:
- Markus Gottschling, professor and scientific director at the University of Tubingen’s RHET AI Center and Institute of Rhetoric in Tubingen, Germany. His topic will be “Generative AI as a Rhetorical Machine (Part 1).”
- Olaf Kramer, chair of rhetoric and science communication, at the University of Tubingen’s Institute of Rhetoric. He will cover “Generative AI as a Rhetorical Machine (Part 2).”
- Michael King, professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Florida Tech in Melbourne, Florida. He will present “AI & Next Gen Identity Research.”
- Sergei Gleyzer, professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Alabama, and chief scientist at the university’s High Performance Computing and Data Center. Gleyzer will speak on quantum computing.
Further information, including dates, times and locations will be announced on AI@AU’s official web page.
Media Contact: , jem0040@auburn.edu, 334.844.3447