2026 AI Summit: AI Exploration Zone

Step away from the screen and contribute to a living map of AI’s evolution in academia!

Take a break from the digital world to help us grow something tangible. This collaborative experience is your chance to leave a mark on the Summit:

• Craft Your Vision: Create a personalized leaf to add to our collective “AI Tree”—a physical representation of how technology should root and grow at UNC Charlotte.
• Reflect & Connect: Step away from the screen for a hands-on, “unplugged” moment to reflect on the evolution of intelligent systems in education.
• AI Imagination Poll: Scan the live QR code at the installation to join a real-time poll. See how your digital aspirations align with the rest of the Niner community.
• Make Your Mark: Every leaf added represents a unique perspective on the intersection of human creativity and AI.

Challenge your digital fluency in this interactive, fast-paced simulation designed for the modern scholar and educator!

Think you have the digital fluency to beat the clock? Step into this fast-paced simulation designed to test your mastery of AI-integrated productivity.

• Pick Your Path: Choose a tailored Faculty or Student track based on your real-world workflow.
  • Stage 1 – Build: Construct a high-speed, “smart” information library.
  • Stage 2 – Deploy: Launch custom AI agents to extract deep insights and verify citations with surgical precision.
  • Stage 3 – Create: Generate professional-grade slide decks or portfolios in record time.
• Beat the Buzzer: Complete the circuit and hit the buzzer to claim your prize and official “AI Master” bragging rights!

Step into JazzSpace—where Afro-Caribbean rhythms, artificial intelligence, and physical architecture converge!

Explore the friction between computational generation and physical fabrication. Discover how sophomore architecture students utilize AI as a cultural design tool, translating the abstract syncopation of jazz into physical, climate-resilient architectural proposals for San Juan, Puerto Rico.

• The AI Atmospheric Loop (Digital Display): Watch a continuous visual screening of “The Human Anchor” alongside computationally generated spatial atmospheres and digital exhibition graphics.
• Physical Tectonic Models: Examine highly detailed architectural massing models crafted by featured sophomore students Scarleth Bonilla-Hernandez and Fabrizio Farfan.
• Live Student Engagement: Chat directly with Scarleth and Fabrizio as they facilitate the booth, answer rapid-fire questions, and explain their process of moving from AI prompting to physical architectural fabrication.
• QR Resources: Scan to access the full digital portfolio and Kyle A. Spence’s Mint Museum Keynote on the intersection of AI, Jazz, and Critical Design Futures.

Unlock a new dimension of creativity where play, imagery, and poetry converge!

Step into a digital playground where technology meets the artistic spirit. Rediscover the joy of creation through three unique AI “Gems” designed to spark your imagination:

• Pictionary Reimagined: Can you stump “Pic-to-Bot”? Have fun trying to stump this snarky art critic with your hand-drawn masterpiece!
• Lyrical Weaving: Turn a single thought into a masterpiece. Use AI to co-write verses and explore the boundaries of poetry.
• Ever-Evolving Play: Dive into a collaborative game that shifts and grows as you interact with it.
• The Goal: Experience a new dimension of creativity where AI serves as your collaborator, not just a tool.

Learn how this initiative is building a future-ready foundation for every Niner!

See how we are building a future-ready foundation for every Niner. This booth introduces the Foundational AI Skills Course—a groundbreaking pilot spanning all 17 UNC System institutions.

• Empower Your Students: Grab the resources you need to help your students master AI as a tool for academic and career success.
• The Workforce Edge: Discover how we’re equipping students with the “AI Literacy” required to thrive in the modern professional landscape.
• The Six-Module Blueprint: Get an inside look at the core curriculum, covering everything from responsible prompting and ethical evaluation, to disciplinary use-cases of AI, leveraging the Digital Promise AI Literacy Framework: Understand, Evaluate, Use.
• Statewide Impact: Learn how this initiative ensures no student is left behind as AI becomes a cornerstone of higher education.