(From Left) Ranga Reddy Nukala, Shagun Roperia, Nandana Chigaterappa HemanthKumar, Basanth Periyapatna Roopa Kumar, and Jay Narendrabhai Joshi
“Your work and everyday life are already shaped by AI systems – Will you be passive users or active architects of how they serve society?” – Basanth Periyapatna Roopa Kumar (MSDI student)
Nandana Chigaterappa HemanthKumar (‘25), Shagun Roperia (‘25), Ranga Reddy Nukala (‘26), Basanth Periyapatna Roopa Kumar (‘26), and Jay Narendrabhai Joshi (‘25) are Master’s candidates in the SJSU Applied Data Intelligence program and were recently invited to participate in the AI & Cybersecurity Leadership Forum, hosted by HC Consulting. For these students, all of whom aspire to careers in this sector, the event provided intellectual stimulus, industry connections and practical advice to inform their next professional and academic endeavors.
Bridging Academia and Industry
The Forum brought together sector leaders, industry experts, and students from several universities, creating an opportunity for intergenerational dialogue and collaborative exchange between private industry and academia. For Jay Joshi, the day was an opportunity to “stay ahead of the curve” and both learn from and contribute to major dialogues shaping the AI landscape.
In particular, the event focused on critical questions about ethical AI oversight and responsible adoption. As Shagun later reflected on LinkedIn: “How do we engineer governance and security at the speed of innovation?”
This emphasis is necessary in an industry where, as Nandana often sees it, “everyone is just so focused on innovation” that security and risk management are sometimes treated as secondary considerations. But in her mind, and as this event made clear, “security needs to be baked into the architecture of systems today. It’s not an add-on.”
SJSU student attendees alongside event organizers André D. Anderson and Han C of HC Consulting
Basanth agreed. For him, the experience provided a “valuable reframing” that innovation and governance are not at odds. To the contrary, strong governance creates the conditions for long-term success by mitigating risk, developing public trust and demonstrating operational integrity. This was a point echoed by all the participants, who each stressed that transparency, human oversight and iterative security audits should be cornerstones of responsible AI policy for organizations.
Building the Future of Responsible AI
In addition to the technical and practical concerns, the event also did not shy away from asking attendees to grapple with philosophical inquiries and take seriously the existential questions posed by the increasing enmeshment of human and artificial intelligence. Nandana was left ruminating on “how do we, as individuals, continue to create meaningful value in a world that is increasingly being shaped by AI?”
The College of Information, Data and Society prepares students to tackle these questions by combining applied technical training and grounded learning in the humanities and ethics. The AI & Cybersecurity Forum proved to be a valuable opportunity for students to apply their education in an enterprise setting – furthering their career aspirations, enhancing their education, and building meaningful connections with both peers and mentors.
Recognizing the importance of these kinds of community spaces to connect, share, and collaborate, Nandana and Shagun recently founded the Applied Intelligence Systems (AIS) Club at SJSU. Open to all students in all departments, the club is designed to be a community learning space to discuss and “figure out growing technology, AI, [and] cybersecurity.” Future AIS events will be offered both virtually and in-person, and the group welcomes new members from all learning communities and programs.
Indeed, students throughout SJSU have vital experience, insight and questions through which to consider and engage with AI – both in their daily lives, and as participants in creating the AI-integrated future. As Basanth articulated, everyone should recognize that “your work and everyday life are already shaped by AI systems – Will you be passive users or active architects of how they serve society?”