Natasha Veltri fuses generative AI, tech with business education

Natasha Veltri William Waas Bert Bertagna, CPM, HOF Chris Paul Allen Starr Ty Taft Don Lilly Pete D'Addio, CHCIO, CDH-E Dr. Quintin McGrath, D.B.A. Jamie Beth Solak Madhavi Othuluru Kelly Burchell Lynnette Clinton Jennifer Wesson Greenman Erin Fitzpatrick Craig Horgan Sridhar Kocharlakota

The future impacts of ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence are seemingly unlimited. As generative AI disrupts interpersonal relationships and society at large, there is growing concern about how it will affect jobs in particular. Just ask Dr. Natasha Veltri, professor of information and technology management and associate dean at the Sykes College of Business at the University of Tampa.?

“We all should be concerned [about generative AI],” she said. “It has very amazing capabilities, and … no job is safe.”

Veltri focuses on enhancing her students’ business and technical skills through their ability to use AI. She encourages her students, saying, “You need to learn how to amplify yourself and be more efficient by using [AI and other] tools.”

Veltri emphasized that AI cannot completely replace human thought.

“I’m not telling you to stop thinking,” she said. Instead, the professor pointed out that using AI properly requires more critical thought. Veltri suggested that AI should be used as a tool to “help us accomplish things faster” and enhance creativity.

In business education, professors should teach a new version of critical thinking known as “critical thinking 2.0.” This brand of thought is adapted to AI and other innovations of the digital age, empowering students to not only synthesize information, but to also assess its credibility. Doing so is particularly important as students are inundated with information from social media, the news and more, Veltri explained. Critical thinking 2.0 also includes understanding how algorithms affect search engine results and how generative AI works.

Generative AI is poised to make a significant impact on education. It enables professors and universities to provide personalized learning, Veltri said. Professors can use generative AI to improve course design and assessment as well as co-creating innovative teaching tools. Personalized learning can make education more accessible and close the skills gap.

?Professors’ duties toward AI extend beyond the classroom, Veltri explained.

?Educating faculty and students in AI is critical. Early adopters, she said, can lead “AI literacy workshops or learning circles” to “share some of the tools and skills” that AI offers.?

While leaders in the AI field are important, AI is not only for technology experts, Veltri said. Everyone needs to understand the limitations of AI, its built-in biases and the ethical implications of using these tools.

“It’s important to ensure that there is AI literacy … [for] those who are curious, or those who are specifically interested in this field.”

As the chair of SIM Tampa Bay’s Academic Council, Veltri has catalyzed the talent pipeline from regional colleges and universities to local employers. In addition to the University of Tampa, the Academic Council features representatives from Hillsborough Community College, St. Petersburg College and the University of South Florida.

The council fosters a symbiotic partnership between local colleges and “industry colleagues [who] want to recruit and hire our students,” Veltri said. In academia, “We also want to know from … industry what … skills … are needed in the talent pipeline.”?