The Marist campus in June became the setting for a gathering focused on artificial intelligence, as the Hudson Valley Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit brought together experts and professionals from various sectors. The event was co-hosted by Dutchess County Government and Marist University, with attendees representing local government, education, healthcare, nonprofit organizations, and businesses.
The summit aimed to provide a forum for understanding both the potential benefits and ethical challenges associated with AI. Speakers included representatives from major technology companies such as IBM and Amazon, as well as Central Hudson and Nuvance Health. Members of Marist + AI—a university-wide group dedicated to shaping Marist’s approach to AI—also participated.
Panel discussions covered topics including responsible integration of AI into organizational strategies. Diane Hart, Marist Associate Vice President of Special Projects and Innovation, moderated a panel on AI awareness featuring Kevin Cafaro ’08, Principal Product Manager at Amazon, and Brian Gormanly, Senior Professional Lecturer of Computer Science.
“I think of generative AI as a supercharged intern whose job is to help you research, translate things, and go out with a scale of activity that you wouldn’t be able to get to otherwise,” said Cafaro during the panel. “Its job is to study patterns and use that information to make predictions.”
Dr. Kevin Gaugler, Assistant Dean in the School of Liberal Arts and Professor of Spanish at Marist—and co-chair of the Marist + AI Steering Committee—addressed educational implications: “There has to be a human centered around all of this,” he said. “You have to decide not only how to educate someone with AI, but without it. If we’re too reliant on this technology, the fear is that the cognitive load that one needs to learn will be taken away.”
Christian Sarmiento ’25 attended after graduating in May from Marist. He presented his senior capping project—an AI model developed at Marist—and reflected on his experience: “Throughout college, I worked on many research projects involving AI, so after graduating, this summit felt like a great opportunity to showcase some of that work especially from my senior year which I think was my strongest in terms of research,” Christian said. “I was also really interested in hearing from others—there are some great people here including faculty and industry professionals.” Sarmiento served as one of two student representatives for Marist + AI during his time at the university.
Marist University has partnered with Dutchess County for several years in hosting regional technology summits; previous initiatives began with cybersecurity before shifting focus toward artificial intelligence.
Marist + AI was established in October 2024 as an initiative designed to guide the university community through developments related to artificial intelligence. In its first year it published foundational ethics statements along with academic guidelines for using AI in teaching and learning settings. The committee plans ongoing development of best practices aligned with institutional strategic goals—including enhancing academics and fostering an inclusive community—in coming years.
