Florida State University is taking a leading role in national conversations about artificial intelligence in higher education, with a faculty representative attending back-to-back AI gatherings this summer at Google's headquarters in New York City.
Paul Marty, professor in the School of Information and associate vice provost for Academic Innovation, represented FSU at Google's St. John's Terminal facility as part of the Google GSV Higher Ed Leader Fellowship and the Google Higher Ed Leader Series Conference. He also attended leadership workshops with the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
"When other public universities look at what FSU is accomplishing - from our data-driven campus culture to our deeply engaged faculty, staff and students - they see a path forward," Marty said. "We are proving that a top public research university can lead the nation in adopting disruptive innovations while keeping student learning and the public good at the center of everything we do."
FSU's role in Google's AI education programs
FSU is part of Google's AI for Education Accelerator program and a Gemini for Education partner. The accelerator gives students and educators AI tools designed to support productivity, personalized learning, and preparation for a technology-driven workforce. Students can use Gemini for Education for inquiry-based learning, brainstorming projects, and exploring complex concepts in a university-managed environment.
Marty is a member of the 2026 cohort of Google GSV Higher Ed Leader Fellows, a group of 30 academic leaders from across North America. The fellows meet monthly to examine how AI is reshaping postsecondary education and gathered in New York for a two-day summit.
"We may be there ostensibly to talk about AI in higher education, but what we're really talking about is the future of higher education," said Marty. "Generative AI is prompting us to really buckle down and answer core questions about the value proposition of higher ed - for example, how can we move away from transactional relationships and reposition higher education as a public good where students engage in meaningful, transformative learning experiences."
FSU's AI work showcased at Google conference
Following the fellowship, Marty attended Google's annual Higher Ed Leader Series Conference, which brings together university presidents, provosts, and chancellors to discuss AI integration and higher education strategy. During the conference, Google showcased a feature video about how FSU faculty and students are integrating Gemini Notebook (formerly NotebookLM) into coursework. The video, filmed on FSU's Tallahassee campus, features Chief Information Officer Jonathan Fozard and examples of AI use across disciplines.
Marty also demonstrated an FSU classroom notebook to higher education leaders, featuring a custom thermodynamics notebook created by Ralm Ricarte, an assistant professor of chemical engineering in the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. Ricarte built the notebook with lecture notes, course materials, and problem sets from his Introduction to Thermodynamics course, giving students an AI study tool grounded in class materials.
"When it comes to AI in education, it's important to remember that the person who does the work does the learning," Marty said. "If all a student does is copy and paste, they aren't learning. But when used properly, these tools can act like an extremely well-read digital assistant available 24/7. As educators, we can show students how to harness that capability ethically to become better learners."
Gemini Notebook restricts its answers strictly to user-uploaded sources and provides precise citations for every response. Students can use course materials to create study guides, practice quizzes, video overviews, and audio overviews. FSU faculty and academic support staff report that these interactive learning tools help boost classroom participation.
FSU's Academic Center for Excellence (ACE) Learning Studio also hosts regular workshops teaching students how to use AI tools responsibly as part of their learning. More broadly, FSU's work with Gemini reflects the university's larger investment in AI for Education, and its participation in Google's programs aligns with the kind of practical Google AI Courses that help institutions build AI fluency across campus.
Why this matters for educators
For educators, the practical takeaway from FSU's participation is that AI tools work best when anchored to specific course materials and clear pedagogical goals. Ricarte's thermodynamics notebook shows how faculty can build AI study aids directly from their own lecture notes and problem sets, giving students a tutor that cites sources and stays within course boundaries. The ACE Learning Studio workshops offer a template for teaching students when and how to use these tools without outsourcing their thinking. The core lesson: AI can support learning, but only when the student remains the one doing the work.
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