September 09, 2025

Applied AI in K-12, Higher Ed and Industry - Live Panel from TitletownTech

37 minutes

What happens when K-12, higher education, manufacturing, and a startup tech company sit around the same table to talk about AI? This episode brings that rare collaboration to life.

Recorded live at TitletownTech—the venture studio founded by Microsoft and the Green Bay Packers—this panel features four leaders from distinctly different sectors, all navigating how AI is changing their world. From fault anomaly detection in industrial equipment to generative AI in K-12 classrooms, this episode is a crash course in what applied AI really looks like on the ground.

Panelists include:

Mike Beighley, Superintendent, Whitehall School District
Dr. Kate Burns, Provost & Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs, University of Wisconsin–Green Bay
Rick Roeske, Senior Director of Service and Solutions, BW Converting
Alex Tyink, Founder & CEO, Fork Farms

Moderated by Matt Kirchner, Host of The TechEd Podcast

Through stories of innovation, disruption, and surprising lessons, these leaders share how they’re preparing students, supporting workers, and strengthening their communities with artificial intelligence.

Listen to learn:

How a rural K-12 school is using AI to power personalized learning and student-led scheduling
What happens when higher ed rethinks writing and assessment in the age of ChatGPT
How manufacturers are using AI to capture tribal knowledge and improve customer relationships
What it’s like to co-develop AI solutions inside the Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab
Why human connection and relevance still matter more than ever in the AI-powered classroom

3 Big Takeaways from this Episode:

1. AI is expanding what’s possible in education by unlocking more personalized, student-centered learning. In both K-12 and higher ed, AI is giving educators the tools to meet students where they are—academically, emotionally, and logistically. From adaptive math instruction to AI-driven student support systems, the future of learning is more flexible, scalable, and responsive.

2. Manufacturing is using AI not just to fix machines, but to build better relationships. Rick Roeske shares how BW Converting uses AI to detect fault anomalies, preserve expert knowledge, and improve customer support—often solving problems before clients even notice. It’s not just about performance; it’s about trust.

3. For startups, AI partnerships can unlock capabilities far beyond their headcount. Alex Tyink explains how Fork Farms built a proprietary AI farm management system with help from the Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab—accessing high-level expertise and infrastructure that most early-stage companies could never afford to build in-house.