16 October 2025: With no industry left untouched by the rapid advancement of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), a recent survey indicated that university students want to feel prepared to enter a workforce fundamentally changed, with the skills to succeed in their chosen fields. Responding to this feedback, the University of Canberra’s Student Representative Council (91Ï㽶app SRC) transformed their final student Town-Hall for 2025 into a jam-packed, one-day event exploring the topic.
AI Conference 2025: From Campus to Career was brought to life by Michelle Khiangte, the Faculty of Arts and Design Student Representative, Michaela McGrath the Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Student Representative, Alek Van Hummel, the University Council Postgraduate Student Representative and the SRC Media Officer, Atulya Manoj, who realised they were all in a unique position to add value for their peers.
“As the SRC, we have all these resources, and we know the pressing issues for students,” Ms Khiangte said.
“We wanted to try and answer some of those questions we keep getting. We worked hard to keep the program really engaging, with a mix of seminars, panels and demonstrations,” Ms McGrath said.
Both students note how in their own experiences, Generative AI was already becoming a necessary component of work and study.
“As a student from a culturally diverse background – English is not my first language – AI holds a lot of potential. When I find it difficult to grasp an article, generative AI assists in simplifying the reading and helps me understand the content better. It has made my studies not only deeper but also richer. However, there are limitations; for example, AI makes a good editor but a poor author. Hence, it’s important for students to retain authorship of their work,” Ms Khiangte said.
“At university, we're very cautious with Gen AI, but then in the physiotherapy clinics I work with, they use AI daily for tasks like note taking. We need to know how to use these tools as we move into the workforce,” Ms McGrath said.
The team knew the attendees would have varying degrees of confidence and knowledge about AI; represent a variety of sectors and study areas; and be at different stages in their academic journey and planned the day’s events accordingly.
From foundational understanding of ‘What is AI’, to AI ethics, AI at university, and finally, AI in the workplace, the program was designed not just to inform, but to equip participants with strategies they can apply immediately – whether in study, research, or the workplace.
“We know that a lot of people don't have a clear understanding of what AI is, and there are some students who feel scared of using it and haven't explored it at all, so we wanted to provide some clarity, and explore the practical ways that students and professionals can integrate AI into everyday tasks,” Ms Van Hummel said.
The conference was attended by the University’s Vice-Chancellor and President, the Honourable Bill Shorten, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michelle Lincoln, who answered questions and listened to student feedback as part of a Q&A session.
Mr Shorten commended the attendees for their proactivity in learning about this pressing issue, and provided an overview of the work taking place to maximise the potential good of AI across learning, teaching and administration at the University.
“Technology and AI form one of the five Reconnected pillars, which is designed to make AI work for us, not the other way around,” Mr Shorten said.
“We need to have an institution wide approach to AI, supported by clear governance frameworks and a culture of ethical awareness to promote ethical use, engagement and critical thinking.
“There is no doubt we are in uncharted waters, but it also means we have the chance to influence and shape the future of AI in higher education and beyond.”
The conference was opened by Dr Ryan Payne from the University’s Faculty of Business, Government and Law, who provided an introduction and overview of Artificial Intelligence, followed by a robotics demonstration by Dr Damith Herath and the 91Ï㽶app Robotics Lab at the Faculty of Science and Technology.
Session two featured a debate on governance and ethics in AI, between panel members Dr Jean-Paul Gagnon, Dr Artie McCarthy, Dr Payne and Dr Herath.
The final session, a much-anticipated AI in the Workplace panel, featured the Faculty of Science and Technology’s Dr Braden McGrath and Dr Aya Hussein; seasoned ITC industry professional Kevin Landale; and Senior Consultant at KPMG, Catherine Kimondies; whose collective experience ranged from Cyber and IT, to defence, health and business.
Their reflections on generative AI in industry shared common themes: across the board there was excitement at the possibilities of this new technology, while also caution to navigate security and other risks. Common uses of the technology were around automating time consuming tasks such as noting taking, transcribing, or data analysis.
While the conference represents the last major event for the SRC this semester, the team are already working behind-the-scenes on a series of exciting initiatives for the year to come. For more information, to stay up to date with SRC activities, or to get in touch with your representative, visit the website at .