The University of South Carolina’s School of Journalism and Mass Communications will host an AI conference examining how artificial intelligence is transforming communications, with a one-day professional program on Friday, Oct. 9, and a companion Student AI Challenge on Saturday, Oct. 10. The conference will take place at the Russell House University Union on the university campus in Columbia, S.C.
The professional event, titled AI in Media, Advertising & Public Relations, will bring together leaders from media, advertising, public relations and corporate communications to discuss how organizations are integrating AI into newsrooms, creative agencies, marketing and corporate communications while preparing their workforce for an AI-powered future. Interactive workshops, executive conversations and industry discussions are scheduled to offer practical insights into leadership, creativity, human-AI collaboration and organizational transformation.
AI conference program and featured speakers
Featured speakers announced for the event include Andrew Robertson, Chairman, BBDO Worldwide; Valerie Vargas, Senior Vice President, Creative Content & Advertising, AT&T; Porter Berry, President & Editor-in-Chief, FOX News Digital; Benjamin Vaughan, Head of AI Research, Vurvey Labs; Robby Thomas, Vice President and General Manager, WIS-TV / Gray Media; Stephen Brown, President, Cookerly PR; and Peter LaMotte, President of Strategic Communications, Chernoff Newman, alongside University of South Carolina faculty experts in artificial intelligence, creativity and strategic communications.
“The communications professions are experiencing one of the most significant periods of change in their history,” said Tom Reichert, dean of the College of Information and Communications. “This conference brings together leaders who are navigating that change every day. Our goal is to create meaningful conversations that help professionals, educators and students better understand how AI is reshaping journalism, advertising and public relations while reinforcing the importance of creativity, ethics and human judgment.”
Student AI Challenge and prizes
The Student AI Challenge on Oct. 10 will invite university students from across South Carolina to work in interdisciplinary teams to tackle a real-world communications problem using artificial intelligence, research, strategy and creativity. Teams will receive mentorship from industry professionals. The top three teams will receive cash prizes totaling $15,000; the first-place team will be awarded $7,500 to be shared among its members. Organizers say no coding or technical skills are required to participate.
The conference is presented in partnership with the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA), Google, Vurvey Labs and other industry partners. For more information and to register, visit: https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/cic/initiatives/ai/ai_conference/
