![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2026\/02\/022626_Jim-VandeHei_39-768x581.jpg\")
Students ask questions about AI\u2019s impact on business and government to Jim VandeHei during an On Discourse CLP. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.<\/p><\/div>\n
AI in the Classroom and Beyond<\/h2>\n
Ahead of the CLP discussion Jim VandeHei led on Friday, he dropped in on a few classes to discuss AI developments and get insights from Furman\u2019s students.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir opinions run the spectrum: Some are enthusiastically using it, others hate and fear it, but it\u2019s clear that in every class it\u2019s a hot topic of conversation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
No matter what field they go into, they\u2019re inevitably going to interface with AI, he said. He encouraged them to play with the available tools and learn what they are capable of, to see how AI can be a \u201cforce multiplier for their work.\u201d<\/p>\n
During Thursday\u2019s CLP, VandeHei said he\u2019s seen firsthand how the largest companies in America and the federal government are eager to leverage AI technology. Students asked about AI\u2019s environmental and economic impact, how it might affect certain career fields and whether AI could live up to the hype it has received.<\/p>\n
While VandeHei said it\u2019s healthy to maintain some skepticism, he is an optimist about AI \u2013 he encourages his staff to use it . As employers seek to bolster their team\u2019s efforts with AI, it\u2019s a tool students will have to be familiar and flexible with as they start their own careers.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t have the luxury of being a Luddite,\u201d he said. \u201cIt would be like coming into a job interview and saying you\u2019re not going to use the telephone or the computer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Furman Alumna Offers Advice<\/h2>\n![\"A](\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\")
Autumn Hanna VandeHei \u201994 attended an On Dicourse CLP where her husband Jim VandeHei, co-founder and CEO of Axios, was the featured speaker. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.<\/p><\/div>\n
Autumn VandeHei flew into Greenville on Feb. 26 ahead of Jim\u2019s appearance at the CLP event in Hartness Pavilion on campus. She said she was excited to see some of her friends from college during her visit to her alma mater. She was eager to connect with other women at her A Day for Women keynote presentation, sharing her personal journey through chronic illness and self-advocacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy to have the opportunity to share what I\u2019ve learned about advocating for yourself, as well as the issues that need to be addressed with data-driven solutions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.furman.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/218\/2026\/02\/022626_Jim-VandeHei_46-768x544.jpg\")
Autumn Hanna VandeHei \u201994 attended an On Dicourse CLP where her husband Jim VandeHei, co-founder and CEO of Axios, was the featured speaker. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.<\/p><\/div>\n
Autumn VandeHei flew into Greenville on Feb. 26 ahead of Jim\u2019s appearance at the CLP event in Hartness Pavilion on campus. She said she was excited to see some of her friends from college during her visit to her alma mater. She was eager to connect with other women at her A Day for Women keynote presentation, sharing her personal journey through chronic illness and self-advocacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m happy to have the opportunity to share what I\u2019ve learned about advocating for yourself, as well as the issues that need to be addressed with data-driven solutions,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n