In this first episode of series five of Crossing Channels, podcast host Richard Westcott welcomes three affiliated experts - Jonathan Grant, François Bonnefon and François Poinas - to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming higher education.
Welcome to the fifth series of our Crossing Channels podcast, co-produced by the Bennett School of Public Policy (UK), and the Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse and Toulouse School of Economics (France).
In this first episode, our host Richard Westcott welcomes three affiliated experts to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming higher education.
Jonathan Grant (Affiliated Researcher at the Bennett School of Public Policy), and Jean-François Bonnefon and François Poinas (Toulouse School of Economics (TSE) & the Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse (IAST)) share different perspectives rooted in public policy, psychology, and economics.
They examine how AI is reshaping the way universities teach, conduct research, and connect with government, business, and civil society. They look into how generative tools are changing learning and assessment, how students and academics can build trust in AI systems, and what the rise of these technologies means for the skills and values that universities aim to foster.
Listen to this episode on your preferred podcast platform
Season 5 Episode 1 transcript: Word / PDF
To find out more about the work of the Bennett School of Public Policy and IAST visit our websites: https://www.bennettschool.cam.ac.uk/ and https://www.iast.fr/
Follow us on Linkedin and Bluesky
With thanks to:
- Audio production by Alice Whaley
- Associate production by Burcu Sevde Selvi, Bennett School of Public Policy
- Visuals by Tiffany Naylor and Pauline Alves, IAST, TSE
More information about our host and guests:
Richard Westcott is an award-winning journalist who spent 27 years at the BBC as a correspondent/producer/presenter covering global stories for the flagship Six and Ten o’clock TV news as well as the Today programme. Over the decades he has reported on the Iraq War and 9/11 as well as numerous UK general elections and government initiatives. Last year, Richard left the corporation and is now the Communications Director for Cambridge University Health Partners and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, both organisations that are working to support life sciences and healthcare across the city.
Jean-François Bonnefon, is Director of the Social and Behavioural Sciences Department at Toulouse School of Economics (TSE) and the Institute of Advanced Studies in Toulouse (IAST). Jean-François is a CNRS research director, affiliated with TSE and IAST, and a cognitive psychologist whose work spans computer science, psychology, and economics. Jean-François is renowned for his expertise in moral preferences and decision-making, and is particularly recognised for his contributions to the ethics of advanced artificial intelligence, especially in autonomous driving. He chaired the EU Commission’s expert group on the ethics of driverless mobility, leads the AI and Society program at the TSE Digital Center, and holds the Moral AI Chair at ANITI.
Jonathan Grant is an Affiliated Researcher at the Bennett School of Public Policy, and Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). In his work for KAUST, he leads efforts to enhance the institution’s global and national impact through transformative academic programming and strategic partnerships. An expert in health R&D policy, research impact, and the evolving role of universities, Jonathan has worked across Europe, the Middle East, North America, and Australia. Previously, he founded Different Angles Ltd and held senior roles at King’s College London and RAND Europe. His book, The New Power University: The Social Purpose of Higher Education in the 21st Century (Pearson, 2021), explores how universities can better serve society in a rapidly changing world.
François Poinas is Assistant Professor and Dean of Education at Toulouse School of Economics (TSE). After completing his PhD in Economics at University Lumière Lyon 2, he joined TSE and University Toulouse Capitole. His research is about applied microeconomics, focusing on labor and education economics. He produces scientific articles on schooling, the dynamics of intra-firm promotions, and migration decisions.
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy.
