What happens to attention, judgment, and the capacity to learn when machines can think alongside us? Join Intentional Futures, Neural Education, and the Future of Higher Education Seattle Chapter for a panel on the human side of AI in education — grounded in the cognitive science of how people actually learn.

AI is now embedded in classrooms, campuses, and workplaces. This panel starts with the people inside these spaces, discussing what AI is doing to how we think, learn, and build capability, and what educators, institutions, and employers should do with that knowledge.

We'll dig into the cognitive science behind AI in education: what we know about attention, cognitive load, executive function, and judgment; where AI genuinely augments learning; and where it quietly offloads the very processes through which people build capability.

Expect a practical, forward-looking conversation built for people who design learning experiences and make decisions about them. We'll look across education and workforce development to be direct about who these tools serve well and who they don't.

Our panelists

  • Missy Widmann, Co-Founder, Neural Education — on the cognitive and educational neuroscience of learning, attention, cognitive load, and adaptive expertise in an AI-saturated environment.

  • Tia Holiday, Director of Growth and Business Development, Intentional Futures — on postsecondary success, equity, and what AI means for students the system already underserves.

  • Kashif Ali, executive functioning coach — on supporting neurodiverse students and what AI changes about how learners plan, self-regulate, and follow through.

Moderated by Max Shuchman, Seattle Chapter Lead of the Future of Higher Education and Sr Implementation Manager at Scholarly

Details

When: Wednesday, October 28, 6:00–7:30 PM. Doors at 6:00, panel begins at 6:15, audience Q&A at 7:00, networking to follow. Where: Intentional Futures, 2329 E Madison St, Seattle, WA 98122. Parking is limited and there are a few stairs required to get into the venue. Space is limited to 70 — please register.

About our hosts

Intentional Futures (iF) is a strategy and design consultancy based in Seattle that serves clients worldwide. Our clients are insistent change agents who believe the world can be better. We are proud to be a certified B Corp that has pledged to hold high standards across transparency, equitability, and sustainability efforts. Together, we strive to be the most impactful consultancy by advancing the world's capacity for empathy, ingenuity, and effective collaboration.

Neural Education has spent more than a decade translating neuroscience and learning science into practical approaches that help people learn, think, regulate, connect, and adapt. We help educators and institutions build a shared understanding of cognition and learning to strengthen the durable human skills people need to thrive in a changing world. As AI reshapes education and work, we bring that same human-centered lens to understanding how AI can augment thinking while protecting and supporting the cognitive processes through which people learn and grow.

The Future of Higher Education (FOHE) is a global community of 6,000+ founders, executives, educators, operators, investors, and advocates building the future of postsecondary education and training, from traditional and alternative higher ed to workforce development, corporate learning, and lifelong learning. The Seattle Chapter connects more than 120 leaders across the PNW from universities, community and technical colleges, edtech, employers, and nonprofits. Everyone pushing postsecondary education and training forward is welcome.