Panellist at the QS Education Awards 2023. Prof Stve McGuire seated far right

Professor Steve McGuire speaking at the AI debate at the QS Reimagining Education Awards

Professor Steven McGuire, Dean of the University of Sussex Business School, recently attended the prestigious 2023 QS Reimagine Education Awards and Conference in Abu Dhabi as a featured speaker and member of the judging panel.

The two-day event hosted by Khalifa University, convened over 680 higher education leaders, policymakers, employers, investors, and technology innovators to recognize pioneering initiatives advancing pedagogy, employability, and sustainability. The conference featured a prestigious lineup of speakers, including university chancellors, business school deans, chief learning officers, instructional designers, employers, policymakers, edtech innovators, investors, and sustainability champions.

The awards honour pioneering pedagogical approaches that boost learning outcomes and employability, as well as effective methods of teaching sustainability.

Prof. McGuire commented: “It was great to engage with education trailblazers from across the industry and around the world. From life-changing edtech to curriculum transforming our students into purpose-driven leaders, the breadth of innovation on display was truly inspirational.”

Debating the Impact of AI on Jobs

A conference highlight was a debate on artificial intelligence which Prof. McGuire participated in. Moderated by IMD’s Chief Learning Officer Sarah Toms, with fellow panellists Prof. Ghassan Aouad Chancellor, Abu Dhabi University; Nacho Meneses, Education and Training, Editor El País; and Dr Zakia Dimassi, Khalifa University, the debate topic was: “AI is a catalyst for mass unemployment, not job creation.”

On the proposition side, panellists argued AI threatens to automate complex tasks currently performed by humans, displacing jobs at an unprecedented rate. However, the opposition countered that AI stands to create as many new roles as it eliminates by elevating human productivity and freeing up the workforce for higher-value creative pursuits.

“AI would be likely to create jobs in the short to medium term, but significant adaptation in the labour market is anticipated in countries such as the UK.” Prof. McGuire commented. He added:  “There is potential for economic migration to increase due to AI.”

Awards Spotlight Education “Reimaginers”

Prof. McGuire joined 900 judges who assessed over 1,200 award submissions across 17 categories, together with a Grand Jury of 55 experts.

Among the winners honoured at the ceremony for the Overall EdTech Award was LabXchange, an online library created at Harvard offering free interactive video labs and STEM learning activities to over 22,000 registered educators across 190 countries. Developed to make science education accessible to all, LabXchange clinched the overall EdTech Award, including $25,000 in Google Cloud credits.

Malaysia’s Taylor’s University also took top honours, winning the overall Education Award endowed by the American University of the Middle East. Its IMPACT Labs initiative immerses students in sustainability challenges aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. By integrating this experiential learning into curricula university-wide, Taylor’s aims to develop socially conscious graduates who create positive change.

For more information on the winners in the 17 awards categories, please visit the QS Reimagine Education website.