Keith, Barreto Join Inaugural AI Leadership Network

Professor Julian Keith and Associate Professor Daisyane Barreto were among 22 faculty and staff members selected to the CAA Academic Alliance’s inaugural cohort of its newly launched AI Technologies Champion Network. Keith was also one of five selected to receive an AI Technologies Network Award. 

Keith, Department of Psychology, and Barreto, Department of Instructional Technology, Foundations and Secondary Education, were chosen to represent UNCW within the network, which includes participants from across the Alliance’s 13 member institutions. 

The AI Technologies Champion Network is a strategic leadership initiative designed to advance the ethical and responsible use of artificial intelligence across higher education. By uniting expertise and fostering collaboration, the Alliance is building a community of practice and preparing inter-institutional teams to address shared AI implementation challenges. 

Keith has spent recent years developing a suite of AI agents that support teaching, research, advising and faculty review processes. His work emphasizes an ethical, human-centered use of AI. The fundamental value he focuses on is higher-quality educational experiences for students.

Barreto focuses on preparing faculty and students to use AI responsibly through research, course design and professional programs. She has developed AI-enhanced curricula and explores ethical and practical approaches to integrating AI into higher education and teaching. 

The group will convene on the UNCW campus in June for a culminating event where Keith, Barreto and the other AI Technologies Champions will present on their research projects. 

The CAA Academic Alliance is a higher education consortium that fosters collaboration and communication across its 13 member institutions. Founded in 2002, the Alliance connects faculty, staff and students through initiatives that enrich the academic environment, advance student success and promote innovation and best practices in higher education.