EP#92 | Scaling AI with Enterprise Adoption Across Your Organization with CIO Robert Dickson

This week I'm delighted to introduce you to Robert Dickson, CIO of Wichita Public Schools, one of the first to design an enterprise integration of AI across their large school district of 50,000 students, and 10,000 employees. Here are three core ideas Robert shares with us in this episode. You'll find all his information below, as I know this is one guest you'll definitely want to add to your network.   Robert Dickson's insights highlight the transformative power of AI in education, focusing on strategic planning, AI literacy, and preparing students for a rapidly changing workforce. His approach emphasizes the need for a balance between technological advancement and human-centered values. His journey not only illustrates the efficiency gains and innovation that AI can bring to educational settings but also underscores its broader implications for enterprise-level integration.    Embracing AI in Education:   Robert shares how he introduced AI in education, with a focus on how it can enhance the workflow for leaders, teachers, and staff in his district. He shares insights on utilizing AI for strategic planning and instructional improvement. “Every task I do, I start at 70% to 80%... Imagine what that frees your time up to do if 70% of a task is done for you.” - Robert Dickson   AI Literacy and Policy Development:   Dickson discusses the importance of AI literacy among educators and developing policies for AI use in educational settings. “I’ve written an AI policy and I’ve revised it now twice... It's about setting guardrails but also enabling innovation and adaptation.” - Robert Dickson   The Role of AI in Future Workforce Development:   The discussion touches on how AI is reshaping the skills needed in the future workforce, emphasizing adaptability and digital literacy. “Memorization is not how we produce a skilled workforce anymore... Intelligence is a commodity.” - Robert Dickson   Connect with Robert Dickson on LinkedIn to follow his journey and insights in integrating AI in education. His resources, articles, and ideas are some of the best on this topic.   Podcast: Listen in to "What the EdTech" Robert's podcast Connect with Robert on X   Article: How Wichita Public Schools is Using Microsoft Copilot   I'd love to connect with you as well. You can join me on any of my platforms    Website: Dr. Sabba Quidwai's Website LinkedIn: Dr. Sabba Quidwai on LinkedIn Twitter: @askMsQ Instagram: @askMsQ   Reading List   Join the AI Bootcamp   Timestamps:   1:57 Why you should subscribe to ChatGPT 3:48 Introducing Rob 6:12 Rob's realization that AI can make a huge difference in education 8:44 How Rob uses AI to reach his goals with more efficiency 11:47 Time-saving with AI 13:41 Shifting the AI use from personal to enterprise level 18:40 The importance of being proactive when exploring AI, intead of just waiting to see what happens 21:11 Some skills and mindset for exploring  and incorporating AI 25:33 Design thinking as a method to approach AI 28:08 Design Thinking at the Orange County Department of Education 31:37 Improving work experience within large organizations using AI 35:29 How Rob implemented AI at enterprise level in practice 39:15 The SPARK framework for asking the right questions to AI 41:12 Some of Rob's prompting practices, guidelines and values at his organization 44:32 Introducing AI tools to students 46:36 The AI Bootcamp 47:40 Questions you should be asking going in 2024 50:42 Rob's books and resources recommendations