Pace University hosted its Spring 2026 Actionable AI Conference in Lower Manhattan on March 16, bringing together business leaders, faculty, and alumni to discuss the practical implementation of artificial intelligence across industries. Kaitlin Elliott, executive director and head of firmwide generative AI solutions at Morgan Stanley, delivered the keynote address, emphasizing how AI is changing the nature of work by shifting professionals from routine tasks to roles focused on strategy and leadership.
The conference aimed to move beyond the hype surrounding artificial intelligence and focus on actionable strategies for organizations. This event followed a previous fall conference that concentrated on AI in higher education, expanding this spring to examine impacts across business operations, workforce strategy, governance, and risk management.
Elliott told attendees, “We are going to go from being the task doers to the mastermind of the task. AI is moving from answer generation to action. Knowledge is infinite at this point in time.”
Panel discussions featured executives such as Justin Vortage of INDATEL, Alyce Gee of Camber Creek, Jonathan Hill of Pace University, Jared Heiner of Zoom, Don Welch of New York University, Roy Girasa and Frank Iannella of Heineken USA. Topics included overcoming operational challenges in adopting AI at scale and managing ethical considerations as technology evolves. Heiner said during one session that “Part of the challenge is that organizations are trying to move quickly in an area that doesn’t yet have clear guardrails. The key is creating ongoing dialogue across teams so people understand what the technology can do, where the risks are, and how it can be applied in meaningful ways.”
Frank Iannella addressed risk management by stating: “If you haven’t done it, you need to do it now, because every risk has changed in this new context. Look at your risks again. AI changes how those risks behave, but it can also help you identify opportunities to respond faster.”
Craig King from Google led a Lunch and Learn session titled “The Future of AI — What’s Hype, What’s Real, and What’s Next,” encouraging organizations to experiment with low-stakes pilots and build data governance frameworks. King said: “You don’t have to have a perfect strategy, but you have to have some type of strategy — you have to do something. Audit your workflows, experiment with low-stakes pilots, build AI literacy across your teams, and put governance around your data. The organizations that start experimenting now will be the ones that figure out how to use these tools responsibly.”
The Actionable AI Conference forms part of Pace University’s broader initiative involving industry leaders and academics exploring artificial intelligence’s impact on business and society. Sponsors for this year’s event included Carahsoft, Crestron, D2L, Google for Education, MicroTheory Engineering, and Zoom.
Pace University was founded in 1906 and serves over 13,600 students through various colleges including health professions; arts; law; business; performing arts; education; and computer science.
Launched in April 2024 as a cross-functional group spanning staff faculty and students Pace’s AI Committee leads efforts for responsible adoption institution-wide establishing academic policy revising curriculum launching workplace programs conducting tool pilots hosting events like this conference.
