2026-05-06 –, Track 1
AI is a sophisticated, capable, and widely used tool. Across academic contexts, questions and concerns over the implications of widespread, often undisclosed AI adoption throughout psychological science and training have emerged, including concerns about ethical use, data privacy, authorship, references and citational justice, and deskilling and unlearning. Proponents advocate for more nuanced, open-minded, and inclusive conversations around AI, particularly situating AI as a “tool” and focused on how psychological science can meaningfully utilize and leverage AI advancements to enhance psychological science. As AI use is a polarizing yet rapidly evolving and increasingly used entity, this unconference creates space for nuanced discussion about a) advancements and diverse implementations of different AI types within and across academia (e.g., agentic and generative AI), b) how advancements and uses are reshaping academia (e.g., teaching/learning, research, publishing, accessibility, DEI, etc.), and c) future directions in the interplay between AI and academia.
This unconference aims to promote inclusive and broad discourse on AI usage and impacts in academia. I particularly want to engender discussion on often underexplored topics particularly around DEI, like equity, accessibility, inclusion, and belongingness - especially in domains like writing, teaching, learning, collaboration, data analysis (e.g., learning to code), mentoring and advising, etc. We often discuss "pros and cons" of AI but forget to discuss "who gets left behind" or is inadvertently impacted by recent AI advancements and implementations. Who are the drivers? Who are the passengers? Who are the stakeholders? And how is AI interwoven with things like agency, power, access, and how we integrate these concepts to build more impactful, inclusive, and more meaningful psychological science? A diverse audience comprised of students, psychology newcomers, staff, faculty, research-oriented, teaching-oriented, and others will benefit from this conversation and are encouraged to contribute their unique voices and perspectives. I fully intend for this to be an interactive, audience-driven discussion about the perils, promises, and precarious nature of AI and its impact on various domains within academia.
Please note any pre-requisite knowledge/expertise you will expect from attendees (i.e., is the session most appropriate for someone who already has experience with a topic?).:Attendees should have some general working knowledge of AI platforms like ChatGPT.
Dr. Debrielle Jacques is an Assistant Professor in the Psychology Department at the University of Washington. Her research examines how and why parental psychopathology and addiction shapes distinct aspects of parenting. This includes parental cognitions (how parents think about parenting and children's behavior) and parental behavior (how parents interact with their children and navigate distinct parenting challenges and situations). I view parenting as a distinct developmental context through which parents' psychological challenges could dynamically alter children's mental health trajectories.
She also studies how children's psychological development and well-being are impacted by their parents' mental health and substance use problems. Within this topic, she examines how children's risk for and symptoms of psychopathology develop and change over time, and whether there are developmental consequences associated with outcomes that are typically viewed as adaptive or healthy (e.g., resilience).
Originally from Philadelphia, PA, she earned her B.S. in Psychology from The Pennsylvania State University, her M.A. in Psychology from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Rochester.