April 3, 2025
Students, faculty, and staff filled Richard Harris Terrace on March 28 for Borough of Manhattan Community College’s (BMCC) Artificial Intelligence (AI) Literacy Day: Solving Local Challenges with People-First AI. The event was open to all academic majors, and no prior experience in AI was required.
Sponsored by BMCC Blackstone LaunchPad, AI Innovation Day featured a fascinating question-and-answer session with keynote speaker and presenter Siya Raj Purohit, Education GTM Leader at OpenAI.
Purohit’s presentation was followed by an afternoon of hands-on, fast-paced innovation, during which students broke into teams, each led by faculty mentors who collaboratively utilized AI to develop real-world solutions to existing problems. Each team’s solution was then presented to a panel of expert judges, who selected the winners.
“This is the officially recognized day for us to get to know AI and explore it together,” said Small Business Entrepreneurship Chair Professor Shane Snipes, who led the day’s activities. “Don’t think about today as an assignment. Think about today as a chance to come up with the coolest, most fun ideas with your team and then use AI to build them.”
Keynote speaker Purohit discussed how AI is shaping the future of global business, education, and innovation. She also explained how AI can be used to solve real-world challenges in real time.
Students in the audience had many questions and concerns, including one participant who asked, “What is the one thing you would like to change in people’s perception of AI and its growing role in the modern world?”
“For a while, especially in education, people thought AI would simply be an easier way to get information and answers. But that’s a very limited perspective, given that we now have super-intelligence in our phones,” said Purohit. “People can use AI to elevate their thinking and produce more productive outcomes.”
She stressed the importance of asking AI well-thought-out questions and learning how to prompt it effectively. Additionally, Purohit emphasized that users should develop the ability to visualize the expected output of AI. She also noted that the ability to inspire others is crucial for teamwork and career opportunities.
Noting AI’s growing role in our daily lives and how much of the world is using it to replace tasks we once did manually, a student asked, “Are we losing some of our own abilities? Are we becoming too dependent on the technology itself?”
“I think within our lifetimes, we’ve faced this question before,” said Purohit, citing two notable examples. “One was the introduction of calculators in classrooms. In my elementary school years, many teachers prohibited calculators, but now I use my phone’s calculator, which allows me to do more advanced math than I could by hand.”
She also highlighted the shift in how people access information, from consulting encyclopedias to using Google.
BMCC Small Business Entrepreneurship Professor Monika Mitchell, who brought members of her Introduction to Entrepreneurship class to the event and also served as a mentor, stressed that events such as AI Literacy Day are important for several reasons.
“If we don’t stay up to date with technology—and AI is the latest trend in business technology—we’ll be left behind,” said Professor Mitchell, who added that many staff and faculty are also learning about AI alongside students. “It’s a learning curve, but once students grasp AI and understand how to use it, they tend to enjoy it.”
Business Management Lecturer Dr. Nashon Woods, who was also a mentor, said the students she mentored were resourceful and enthused about utilizing AI.
“AI Literacy Day was essential and highly effective because it opened a portal of curiosity that allowed everyone in academia to challenge themselves to comprehend the benefits of incorporating AI into action,” said Dr. Woods. “This event fostered positive networking opportunities between students and mentors and allowed students to collaborate in group settings.”
Students described AI Literacy Day as an eye-opening experience.
“The event taught me how to use AI more effectively,” said Small Business Entrepreneurship major Kaylee Guembes. “It’s very useful, especially since technology is going to play an even bigger role in the future.”
Business Management major Nadi “Didi” Theint Zaw reflected on the experience: “As a team, we had to brainstorm, conduct customer interviews, and prepare slides for a business pitch in a short amount of time. But with AI, it became possible. The event was an insightful experience.”
Business Management major Kevin Franco shared his takeaway: “The event made me realize how powerful AI really is and how it’s going to lead the world into the next global industrial revolution. I’d like to thank all the organizers for setting it up.”
Another student, Small Business Entrepreneurship major Alexia Lopez, described the experience as wonderful.
“I learned how useful and specific AI can be when you ask it different questions,” said Lopez. “It was fun working in groups to create something amazing.”
Team Winners
Professor Mitchell mentored Team Table 9, the first-place winners of the Innovation Sprint. With the help of AI, they developed MindConnect: Mental Health Support for NYC College Students. Dr. Woods mentored Team Table 6, the second-place winners of the Innovation Sprint. Utilizing AI, they developed SmartBite AI: Meal Planning is Overwhelming.
Team Table 9 members:
- Ana Cecilia Abreu (Business Management)
- Luke Allman (Business Management)
- Kevin Franco (Business Management)
- Roy Lian (Business Management)
- Alexia Lopez (Small Business Entrepreneurship)
- Jonairy Dominguez Jerez (Business Management)
- Angelina Gunawan Rahario (Business Management)
- Nadi “Didi” Theint Zaw (Business Management)
Each first-place team member received a $150 gift card, medals, designer pens, and a statuette..
Team Table 6 members:
- Jefferson Abegya (Computer Information Systems)
- Mark Allard (Business Management)
- Andy Hernandez (Business Management)
- Gor Hovhannisyan (Business Administration)
- Said Lembrouk (Theatre)
- Ronie Pastko (Liberal Arts)a
- Event featured keynote presentation by OpenAI Education Leader
