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LSU Experts Break Down Artificial Intelligence Boom Behind Holiday Shopping Trends
Consumers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence tools for holiday shopping—especially Gen Z shoppers, who are using platforms like ChatGPT and social media not only for gift inspiration but also to find the best prices. Andrew Schwarz, professor in the LSU Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship & Information Systems, and Dan Rice, associate professor and Director of the E. J. Ourso College of Business Behavioral Research Lab, share their insights on this emerging trend. AI is the new front door for search: Schwarz: We’re seeing a fundamental change in how consumers find information. Instead of browsing multiple pages of results, users—especially Gen Z—are skipping to conversational AI for curated answers. That dramatically shortens the shopping journey. For years, companies optimized for SEO to appear on the first page of Google; now they’ll have to think about how their products surface in AI-generated recommendations. This may lead to a new form of “AIO”—AI Information Optimization—where retailers tailor product descriptions, metadata, and partnerships specifically for AI visibility. The companies that adapt early will have a distinct advantage in capturing consumer attention. Rice: This issue of people being satisfied with the AI results (like a summary at the top of the Google results) and then not clicking on any of the paid or organic links leads to a huge increase in what we call “zero click search” (for obvious reasons). For some providers, this is leading to significant drops in web traffic from search results, which can be disconcerting due to the potential loss of leads. However, to Andrew’s point of shortening the journey, it means that the consumers who do come through are much more likely to buy (quickly) because they are “better” leads. This translates to seemingly paradoxical situations for providers: they see drops in click-through rates and visitors/leads, yet revenue increases because the visitors are “better.” There is a rise in personalized shopping journeys: Schwarz: AI essentially acts as a personal shopper—one that can instantly analyze preferences, budget, personality traits, or past behavior to produce tailored gift lists. This shifts power toward “delegated decision-making,” in which consumers allow AI to narrow their choices. Younger consumers are already comfortable outsourcing this cognitive load. However, as ads enter the picture, these personalized journeys could be shaped by incentives that aren’t always transparent. That creates a new responsibility for platforms to disclose when suggestions are sponsored and for users to develop a more critical lens when interacting with AI-driven recommendations. Rice: This is also a great point. The “tools” marketers use to attract customers are constantly evolving, but this seems in many ways to be the next iteration of the Amazon.com suggestions that you find at the bottom of the product page for something you click on when searching Amazon (“buy all x for $” or “consumers also looked at…,” etc.), based on past histories of search and purchase, etc. One of the main differences is that you can now create virtually limitless ways to compare products, making comparisons less taxing (reducing cognitive load and stress), which may, in some cases, increase the likelihood of purchase. These idiosyncratic comparisons and prompts lead to the truly unique journeys Andrew is discussing. You no longer have to be beholden to a retailer-specified price range. You could choose your own, or instead ask an AI to list the products representing the best “value” based on consumer reviews, perhaps by asking to list the top ten products by cost per star rating, etc. Advertising is becoming more subtle and conversational: Schwarz: With ads woven directly into AI responses, the traditional boundary between content and advertising blurs. Instead of banner ads, pop-ups, or clearly labeled sponsored posts, recommendations in a conversational thread may feel more like advice than marketing. This has enormous implications for consumer trust. Retailers will likely see higher engagement through these context-aware ad placements, but regulatory scrutiny may also increase as policymakers evaluate how clearly sponsored content is identified. The risk is that advertising becomes invisible—something both platform designers and regulators will need to monitor carefully. Rice: This is definitely true. I was recently exploring an AI-based tool for choosing downhill skis, but the tool was subtly provided by a single ski brand. I’m not sure the distribution of ski brands covered was truly delivering the “best overall fit” for a potential buyer, rather than the best possible ski in that brand. At least in that case, it was somewhat disclosed. It does, however, become an issue if consumers feel misled, but they’d have to notice it first. Still, the advantages are big for retailers, and the numbers don't lie. According to some preliminary Black Friday data, shoppers using an AI assistant were 60% more likely to make a purchase. Schwarz: This shift is going to reshape multiple layers of the retail ecosystem: Retailers will need to rethink how they show up in AI-driven environments. Traditional SEO, ad bids, and social media strategies won’t be enough. Partnerships with AI platforms may become as important as being carried by major retailers today. Because AI tools can instantly compare prices across dozens of retailers, consumers will become more price-sensitive. Retailers may face increasing pressure to offer competitive pricing or unique value propositions, as AI reduces friction in comparison shopping. Retailers who integrate AI into their own websites—chat-based shopping assistants, personalized gift advisors, automated bundling—will gain an edge. Consumers are increasingly expecting conversational interfaces, and companies that delay will quickly feel outdated. As AI tools influence purchasing decisions, consumers and regulators alike will demand clarity around how recommendations are generated. Retailers will need to navigate this carefully to maintain What I think we are going to see accelerate as we move forward: AI-powered concierge shopping will become mainstream. Within a couple of years, using AI to generate shopping lists, compare prices, and find deals will be as common as using Amazon today. Retailers will create AI-specific marketing strategies. Instead of optimizing for keywords, they’ll optimize for prompts: how consumers might ask for products and how an AI system interprets those requests. More platforms will introduce advertising into AI models. ChatGPT is simply the first mover. Once the revenue potential becomes clear, others will follow with their own ad integrations. Greater scrutiny from policymakers. As conversational advertising grows, transparency rules and labeling requirements will almost certainly. A new era of “conversational commerce.” Buying directly through AI—“ChatGPT, order this for me”—will become increasingly common, merging search, recommendation, and transaction into a single seamless experience. I can speak to this on a personal level. My college-aged son is interested in college football, and I wanted to get him a streaming subscription to watch the games. However, the football landscape is fragmented across multiple, expensive platforms. I asked ChatGPT to generate a series of options. Hulu is $100/month for Live TV, but ChatGPT recommended a combination of ESPN+, Peacock, and Paramount+ for $400/year and identified which conferences would not be covered. What would have taken me hours only took me a few minutes! Rice: On the other hand, AI isn’t infallible, and it can lead to sub-optimal results, hallucinations, and questionable recommendations. From my recent ski shopping experience, I encountered several pitfalls. First, for very specific questions about a specific model, I sometimes received answers for a different ski model in the same brand, or for a different ski altogether, which was not particularly helpful, or specs I knew were just plain wrong. Secondly, regarding Andrew’s point about the conversational tone, I asked questions intended to push the limits of what could be considered reliable. For example, I asked the AI to describe the difference in “feel” of the ski for the skier among several models and brands. While the AI gave very detailed and plausible comparisons that were very much like an in-store discussion with a salesperson or area expert, I’m not sure I fully trust when an AI tells me that you can really feel the power of a ski push you out of a turn, this ski has great edge hold, etc. It sounds great, but where is the AI sourcing this information? I’m not convinced it’s fully accurate. It also seems we’re starting to see Google shift toward a more AI-centric approach (e.g., AI summaries and full AI Mode). At the same time, we’re also starting to see AI migrate closer to Google as people use it for product-related chats, and companies like Amazon and Walmart have developed their own AI that is specifically focused on the consumer experience. I can’t imagine it will be long before companies like OpenAI and their competitors start “selling influence” in AI discussions to monetize the influence their engines will have.
One AI-based advancement at a time, UF leaders are transforming the sports industry
As emerging technologies like AI reshape sport industries and professional demands evolve, it is essential for students to graduate with the expertise to thrive in their future careers. To ensure that these students are set up for success, the UF College of Health & Human Performance has launched a new sports analytics program. Led by Scott Nestler, Ph.D., CAP, PStat, a professor of practice in the Department of Sport Management and a national analytics and data science expert, the program ties back to the UF & Sport Collaborative – a five-part project intended to elevate UF’s presence on the global stage in sports performance, healthcare and communication. “Tools and insights that previously were only available to professional sports teams are now coming to the college level, and it makes sense for universities to begin using these data, technologies and new analytic methods,” Nestler said. The sports analytics program fosters collaboration between academic units, such as the Warrington College of Business and the University Athletic Association, helping bridge the gap between sport research and innovation and empowering students to address real-world challenges through data and AI. For example, the program offers opportunities to leverage technology and analytics for strategic decision making in player acquisition, team formation and in-game decisions. Beyond performance metrics, the program also explores marketing strategies and revenue analytics, providing a well-rounded understanding of the field. “When you have enough data and a large enough sample of individuals, AI can help make predictions that otherwise would take prohibitively longer for a human to accomplish with traditional methods,” said Garrett Beatty, Ph.D., the assistant dean for innovation and entrepreneurship and an instructional associate professor in the College of Health & Human Performance’s Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology. “Because those data volumes are getting so large, AI models, machine learning, deep learning and other strategies can be leveraged to make sense and glean insights from sport and human performance data in ways that have never been done before.” The program seeks to offer several educational opportunities, such as individual courses, certificate programs and potentially a full degree program. In the long term, Nestler envisions the program evolving into a center or institute, beginning with establishing a research lab in the spring. Additionally, the program will leverage the university’s supercomputer, HiPerGator, to analyze larger data sets and use newer predictive modeling machine learning algorithms. “As faculty and staff move from working with box score and play-by-play data to using tracking data, which contains coordinates of all players and the ball on the field or court tens of times per second, the size of data files in sports analytics has grown tremendously,” Nestler said. “HiPerGator, with its large storage capacity and multiple central processing units/graphic processing units, is ideal for using in sports analytics work in 2025.” Nestler also aims to increase student involvement by enhancing UF’s Sport Analytics Club and hiring research assistants to work on projects for the University Athletic Association. “We need to take a broader view of what AI is and realize that it incorporates a lot of what we’ve been calling data science and analytics in the form of machine learning models, which came more out of statistics and computer science. Those are types of AI and those that I think will largely continue to be used in the coming years within the sports space,” Nestler said. “Also, we’re continuing to see growth in the number of people interested in working in this space, and I don’t foresee that changing. Fortunately, we are also seeing the number of opportunities available to those with the appropriate skills increase as well.”
Five Million Airbnb Reviews Illuminate Guests’ Crime and Safety Concerns
Concerns about crime and safety have a dramatic impact on the behavior of Airbnb customers, according to new research co-authored by Liad Wagman, Ph.D., Dean of the RPI Lally School of Management. In an analysis of nearly 5 million reviews left by Airbnb guests, Wagman and his colleagues found that a short-term rental property’s occupancy rate and rental price dropped by significant amounts after a guest left a review mentioning safety concerns at or around the property: occupancy rates fell by anywhere from 1.5 to 2.4 percent, while average nightly prices dropped by roughly 1.5 percent. These negative safety reviews influenced the behavior not only of potential future customers, but also of the people who wrote them. A customer who mentioned concerns about crime and safety in the neighborhood around a property, for instance, became 60 percent less likely to ever use Airbnb again. “To see the effect of these dynamics play out in action is always fascinating to me," Wagman said. “Given that humans have different preferences, and that information transmittal is imperfect, it’s unsurprising that the effect of self-experience is larger than that of reading a critical review that resulted from it.” Worries about safety within a property — say, a broken step or a slippery tub — also reduced customers’ willingness to return to the platform, but by a more modest amount. The study also found that when people with neighborhood safety concerns did return to the platform, they tended to book properties in areas with lower rates of crime. The study, co-authored by Aron Culotta of Tulane, Ginger Zhe Jin of the University of Maryland, and Yidan Sun of Binghamton University, was published in the journal Marketing Science. Overall, the researchers found that safety-oriented reviews were rare: only about 0.5 percent of customer reviews mentioned safety concerns. But those reviews tend to be more negative in sentiment than the typical customer review, giving them an outsize impact on the behavior of subsequent would-be customers. The findings illustrate a delicate balancing act digital platforms have to perform, particularly those that rely heavily on user reviews: while highlighting negative experiences can help consumers make more informed choices, too much emphasis can drive customers away completely. The team ran several simulations calibrated by their empirical analysis to test how these dynamics play out in the market. They found that if a platform suppressed negative safety reviews completely, customers might assume that safety information was being hidden, and become more wary of using the platform in general. Conversely, while more transparency around safety issues could lead to fewer bookings of impacted properties in the short term, in the long run such a policy could boost user trust and draw more people to the platform, offsetting the short-term losses. “Platforms with the competitive space to focus on long-term objectives may benefit from a higher level of transparency, which can be facilitated by making information that is relevant to their buyers’ decision-making more readily available,” Wagman said. “Doing so facilitates trust and helps incentivize sellers to work to improve the quality of their offerings, as well as help shape sellers' decisions to enter a market (e.g., offer their listings) in the first place.”
Let's get one thing straight: the stock market doesn't care that you're retired. It doesn't care that you finally cleaned out that drawer full of ancient T4 slips, promised yourself you'd stop checking your RRIF balance daily, or told your spouse, "This year, we're sticking to the plan." The Market Doesn't Care About Your Retirement Date Markets wobble because they wobble. Headlines panic. Analysts disagree sharply — and confidently. And somewhere, a retiree stands in front of the fridge, wondering whether to sell everything or simply turn off the news. But retirement isn't a day-trading contest; it's a decades-long longevity project. The aim is to generate reliable income, maintain sleep-at-night discipline, and avoid the common mistake among retirees of saving too much while living too little. Your Retirement Income Defense: Sectors That Weather Any Storm Read the news, and you'll see a constant blizzard of rising prices created by our neighbours to the south. Not just little price increases, but if economists are right about what we can expect, it's best to “inflation-proof” yourself - before you need it. But keep in mind, every downturn follows the same pattern: a few key sectors keep humming while everything else goes through a mild identity crisis. The Classic Defensive Trio for Canadian Retirees: Consumer Staples (groceries, household essentials) Utilities (keeping the lights on and heat up) Healthcare (aging doesn't pause for recessions) Research on past downturns shows these sectors experienced significantly smaller losses than the S&P 500 during selloffs. When markets tantrum, these industries act like the sensible cousin who says, "We'll get through this. Have a muffin." Canadian-Specific Additions: Telecoms (we'll cut many things, but not Wi-Fi) Pipelines (fee-for-service revenue, though rate-sensitive) Combine these with low-volatility or dividend ETFs, and your portfolio suddenly feels less like a roller coaster and more like a slow-moving Via Rail train: reasonably steady, unfussy, and you still get to where you're going. The Cash Wedge: And Why You Need One Think of your retirement plan as a three-layer cake: Long-term investments (stocks, dividend ETFs, balanced portfolios) Intermediate safety assets (short GICs, T-bills, high-interest savings) Cash you can actually live on (your wedge) Your Cash Wedge sits at the very front of the line — a 12–24-month cushion of living expenses held in stable, boring, absolutely-not-newsworthy places: High-interest savings accounts Short-term GICs Treasury bills Cashable deposits It's essentially the "dry powder" you need to ride through market volatility without panic-selling. Three Critical Risks Your Cash Wedge Protects Against 1. Sequence-of-Returns Risk in Early Retirement This is the risk that markets drop early in your retirement while you're withdrawing. It's the silent killer of portfolios. A cash wedge buys you: Time for dividends to arrive Time for markets to recover Time for calm to return 2. Emotional Decision-Making During Market Downturns When markets fall, too many retirees experience "sell-and-suffer syndrome": They sell low Lock in losses Delay recovery Reduce the lifespan of their savings 3. Portfolio Depletion at Critical Moments Without a cash wedge, every withdrawal during a downturn digs a deeper hole. With a cash wedge, withdrawals can pause while investments rebound. "Think of a cash wedge as retirement jiu-jitsu — using stability to neutralize volatility." How to Calculate Your Ideal Cash Wedge Size There's no magic number, but here's a practical framework: 12 months of essential expenses for retirees with pensions or steady income sources 18 months for those relying heavily on investments 24 months for anyone highly risk-averse or aging in place on a fixed budget This isn't a pile of cash sitting in a chequing account — it's a structured, laddered buffer. Why Canadian Retirees Often Resist Building a Cash Wedge I've heard all of these comments over the years from many retirees: "Cash earns nothing." Not true anymore — HISAs and T-bills offer competitive yields. "I don't want my money sitting around doing nothing." It isn't doing nothing — it's protecting your future income. "I've always been fully invested." Retirement changes the rules. What worked during the accumulation phases of retirement can be dangerous during deaccumulation. The Cash Wedge is not an investment strategy. It is an income preservation strategy — the most important one in retirement. Real-Life Example: The 2020 Market Crash Test Remember 2020? Stock markets dropped nearly 35% in just weeks. Let's consider two couples with similar assets: Couple A : had a 2-year cash wedge Couple B : had none Couple A simply shifted withdrawals from their wedge, not their portfolio. Couple B sold their best assets at their worst prices — causing permanent damage. This is why I tell retirees: "The Cash Wedge protects your portfolio from you." It’s 12–24 months of living expenses kept in cash, high-interest savings accounts (HISA), short-term GICs, or T-Bills. It's not exciting. No one flaunts a 6-month GIC at brunch. But the emergency fund prevents disaster: selling investments at the worst possible time. It buys you time. It buys you calm. It buys you the uninterrupted ability to buy groceries. The Cash Wedge alone is powerful. But for Canadian homeowners — especially those whose wealth sits mostly in their property — there’s a second buffer that can dramatically strengthen your financial resilience: your home equity. We'll explore that in Part 2 of this post tomorrow. Sue Don’t Retire… ReWire!!! Want to become an expert on serving the senior demographic? Just message me to be notified about the next opportunity to become a "Certified Equity Advocate" — mastering solution-based advising that transforms how you work with Canada's fastest-growing client segment.
Avoiding the Reverse Mortgage Reflex
Every once in a while, an industry article really hits the mark. Recently, one did just that—Canadian Mortgage Trends' "Who Uses Mortgage Brokers Today and Why? (Part 2)" gave seniors their own category, not as an afterthought, but as a client segment worthy of attention. Bravo. It's about time someone acknowledged that older Canadians aren't just "another niche." But then… came the reverse mortgage section. Don't get me wrong—it's refreshing to see financial professionals finally acknowledge that Canada's aging population presents both opportunities and complexities. But suggesting that "helping seniors" automatically means "offering a reverse mortgage" is like telling everyone who's thirsty to drink espresso. Some will love it. Others will lie awake at 3 a.m. with regrets. Let's call it what it is: type-casting seniors into a product. The Reverse Mortgage Reflex There's a curious habit in our industry. Mention the word "senior" and watch what happens: eyes light up, marketing decks shuffle, and—as if on cue—the term "reverse mortgage" materializes like a pop-up ad from 2007. It's as if the entire profession has agreed that every retiree with a pulse and property must be yearning to re-mortgage their home. Except… most aren't. Most seniors spent decades teaching their kids to avoid debt and pay off mortgages as quickly as possible CBC Radio. Suggesting they should now joyfully jump back into one to "solve retirement" isn't just unappealing—it's borderline insulting. Here's the truth: no one dreams of retiring into debt. And the numbers bear this out. Debt Levels: While only about a quarter of people over 65 had debt in the late 1990s, that figure has climbed to more than 40% today (Source: CBC News). Anxiety Levels: Nearly 50% of retirees now worry about their debt, according to the Credit Counselling Society. Reverse mortgages can absolutely be valuable tools. The reverse mortgage market has exploded, with over $8.2 billion in outstanding debt as of June 2024—an 18.3% increase from the previous year (Source: MoneySense). But offering one before understanding the client's full picture isn't being a trusted advisor—it's running on sales autopilot. Brokers, You're Better Than This Brokers pride themselves on being client advocates—the ones who shop the market, decode fine print, and find creative solutions when banks can't. The very definition of a broker is someone who matches the right solution to the customer's needs. So why, when it comes to seniors, do many skip the most important part—the needs assessment—and leap straight to the product? It's backwards. While it may seem very simple, a proper financial conversation starts with identifying the problem, then illustrating a solution, and finally defining the intended outcome. • Why does this person need to access equity? • What problem are they really solving? • How do they define "financial comfort" The first step of solution selling isn't talking—it's listening. Start With the Need, Not the Product Before reaching for any rate sheet, it's critical to understand the client's true priorities. According to research from HomeEquity Bank, 9 in 10 Canadians want to age in place and live out their retirement years in the comfort of their home (Source: Canadian Mortgage Trends). But their financial needs are as diverse as their travel insurance policies. The reality is stark: A 2024 survey by the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) found that 39% of Canadians aged 55-64 have less than $5,000 in savings, and 73% have $100,000 or less. More than half of Canadians over 60 who remain in the workforce do so out of financial necessity, not choice (Source: CBC Radio). Ask the right questions: • Do they need to eliminate high-interest debt? • Do they need cash flow to cover rising expenses? • Are they struggling to afford in-home care or medical support? • Do they want income stability—that pension-like feeling—rather than a lump sum? • Do they want to downsize, relocate, or age in place with dignity? Only after understanding the full financial picture can you propose the best, most robust solution. That's not just good practice. That's respectful advising. Solution Selling: Connecting the Dots Here's a classic example: A client walks in with a paid-off home and a stack of monthly bills that feel heavier than the Sunday paper. They're anxious about cash flow but debt-averse. The reflex answer? "Reverse mortgage!" Not so fast. Solution sellers focus on understanding customers' challenges and delivering ideas that address their daily needs, rather than pushing products. When clients can see exactly what they're getting, they make better decisions and advisors earn lasting trust through transparency, not sales pressure. Maybe downsizing to a more manageable property makes sense. Perhaps a small secured line of credit covers the gap without interest compounding as quickly. Maybe an annuity provides steady income with less long-term cost. Or maybe—just maybe—they don't need a mortgage at all. Consider that a $100,000 reverse mortgage balance can grow to $150,000 in just 5 years at current rates, with interest compounding annually. When you solve the real problem (not just the balance sheet), you build lasting trust and genuine loyalty. The Psychology of the Senior Client It's not just about the math; it's about the mindset. Here's where most brokers stumble: they treat all seniors as if they're cut from the same cloth. They're not. Let's get real: seniors aren't a monolithic group. A 55-year-old and an 85-year-old? They're separated by 30+ years of life experience, different communication styles, varying financial literacy, and completely different emotional triggers around money. Cookie-cutter advice doesn't cut it. The best advisors listen first. They ask questions. They assess each client's actual financial situation—not what they assume it is—and then deliver advice that fits that person's life, not some generic "senior strategy." Respect Is the Real Differentiator Understanding a client's lifestyle, fears, and goals isn't just good ethics—it's good business. Seniors have finely tuned radar for sincerity. They can smell a sales pitch faster than a Labrador finds bacon. Want to stand out? Lead with curiosity, not a contract A holistic, solution-based approach positions you as a trusted advisor—not a product pusher. Once you earn that trust, referrals flow like coffee at a church social. From Product Pushing to Purpose Selling Here's the shift our industry needs: Stop viewing seniors as a market. Start viewing them as individuals with layered needs. Solution selling isn't anti-reverse mortgage—it's anti-assumption. It ensures the whole problem gets solved, not just the one that fits your product lineup. Yes, over 25% of Canadians aged 55 and older are considering a reverse mortgage (Source: Canadian Mortgage Trends), and it might eliminate a monthly payment—but if it doesn't solve for cash flow, health costs, or income stability, you've only done half the job. The real opportunity? Elevate the conversation from product placement to purpose-driven advising. Advisors, Reset Your Lens Seniors don't need to be sold. They need to be understood. Give them the dignity of choice, the respect of time, and the power of informed decision-making. When advisors show prospective clients detailed solutions, it allows clients to properly assess the quality of advice and make fully informed decisions, supporting healthy long-term relationships The best brokers—the ones shaping the next chapter of this industry—don't just sell mortgages. They sell confidence, clarity, and control. And that, my friends, is how you truly help Canadians retire hip, fit, and financially free. Want to become an expert on serving the senior demographic? Just message me to be notified about the next opportunity to become a "Certified Equity Advocate" — mastering solution-based advising that transforms how you work with Canada's fastest-growing client segment.
From classrooms to communities: Rethinking civic engagement in K–12 education
When national headlines focus on school board battles and political polarization, James Bridgeforth, assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Delaware, is focused on what’s possible instead: building a more inclusive, participatory model of democracy through public education. His research in UD's College of Education and Human Development explores how community voice, equity and local leadership intersect to shape education policy – and how school boards can serve as vital engines for rebuilding public trust in government. "Despite the often sensationalized stories of chaotic school board meetings and the influence of more national "culture war" issues, I still believe that it's possible for people from different backgrounds, experiences, and points of view to come together to figure out how to best serve the needs of all of our children." – Bridgeforth Bridgeforth’s work centers on education governance, policy and leadership, with particular attention to how racism and anti-Blackness manifest in schools and policymaking spaces. His scholarship highlights the importance of inclusive decision-making, arguing that effective education policy must be representative of the diverse communities it serves. He recently published the report "Navigating Democracy in Divided Times" with co-authors on this topic. As part of his work with the Getting Down to Facts III project at Stanford University, Bridgeforth collaborates with researchers studying how to improve California’s TK–12 system and inform the next governor’s education policy agenda. His work documents the complex realities faced by local school board members – often minimally paid community leaders navigating contentious public discourse, social media pressure and limited resources. He notes that this research can be applied to school boards around the country. The next frontier: Youth civic engagement Over the next several years, Bridgeforth aims to deepen understanding of how schools can nurture young people’s civic skills and leadership capacity through participation in governance. One proposed project – "Strengthening Opportunities for Youth Civic Engagement and Student Voice in Educational Governance" – uses participatory action research to explore how student board member policies and engagement practices foster civic agency and democratic mindsets. This collaborative work brings together youth-led community organizations and education researchers to study how these experiences shape long-term civic behavior – from voting to public service. Why it matters Bridgeforth’s research arrives at a pivotal time for American democracy. As trust in public institutions erodes, local school boards remain one of the spaces where citizens can directly shape policy. His work points to a hopeful truth: democracy’s renewal may begin in classrooms, communities and the local school board meetings shaping them. For journalists covering education, race or civic engagement, Bridgeforth offers data-driven insight, lived experience and policy expertise – helping make sense of one of the most pressing questions of our time: How can we build systems that truly serve all students and communities? This work collectively demonstrates a number of promising opportunities to foster more inclusive, community-connected forms of governance, particularly in a time of eroding trust in government institutions." – Bridgeforth ABOUT JAMES BRIDGEFORTH Assistant Professor, College of Education and Human Development James Bridgeforth is an educator, researcher and policy advocate whose work focuses on community voice in education policy and the politics of educational leadership. His scholarship has appeared in top journals including Journal of School Leadership, Education Policy Analysis Archives, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis and Educational Administration Quarterly, and he has contributed to Education Week and The Washington Post. A recipient of the National Academy of Education/Spencer Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, Bridgeforth holds a Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy from the University of Southern California, an M.Ed. in Educational Administration and Policy from the University of Georgia, and a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from Georgia College & State University. Expert available for: Interviews on K–12 school governance, education policy and democracy Commentary on community voice and equity in education decision-making Analysis of youth civic engagement and participatory leadership To contact Bridgeforth, email mediarelations@udel.edu.
The missing AI revolution: Smarter leadership, not smarter machines, says workforce expert
Artificial intelligence has transformed industries, but its most overlooked potential lies in helping leaders themselves think more clearly and decide more effectively, according to Saleem Mistry, Associate Professor of Management at the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics. Mistry focuses on enabling leaders to be more productive, think clearly and make better decisions. Focusing on the leader, not just the organization Mistry’s work examines how leaders at every level can use AI to enhance productivity and decision-making. While most organizational conversations about AI focus on operational efficiency or customer service, he argues that the true frontier is leadership productivity. “Leadership productivity directly shapes organizational performance. AI can be transformative when it helps leaders think faster, decide better and regain the time they’ve lost to administration.” – Mistry As a professor of management and leadership, Mistry is often asked how AI will change the workplace. Those conversations usually revolve around automating workflows, not empowering leaders. Yet, as he notes, an MIT report found that 95 percent of generative AI pilots are failing — largely due to the absence of clear business use cases. That insight shaped his direction: leadership itself may be the missing use case. Having spent much of his earlier career in high technology, Mistry saw firsthand that innovation succeeds or fails based on how effectively leaders model new tools. Demonstrating practical applications Mistry recently analyzed the 2024-2025 U.S. Office of Inspector General reports on leadership challenges based. He analyzed each leadership challenge using three guiding questions: 1) Do the problems stem from leaders struggling with time, decisions or task management? 2) How might AI help? 3) Where could AI have the greatest impact? The results included: Executive Example (Amtrak): AI could power a real-time RACI dashboard to clarify accountability, track decisions and eliminate bottlenecks. Mid-Level Example (EPA): “Agentic AI” could cross-check allegations against verified data before termination decisions, preventing ethical and legal missteps. Supervisor Example (CISA): AI could scan incentive data for waste and anomalies, saving hours of manual review. Why it matters By automating repetitive, data-heavy tasks, AI gives leaders something they desperately need: time. Time to think strategically, coach teams and make better decisions. Mistry’s findings link AI adoption directly to mental well-being, arguing that improved decision productivity leads to improved organizational health. “Decision productivity is business productivity. Organizations that make faster, fairer and more informed decisions outperform those that don’t.” – Mistry Next steps: Building the framework for responsible AI leadership Mistry’s next milestone is to develop a set of leadership use cases that can be used by business leaders at all levels where AI can deliver the greatest impact. He is also developing frameworks for responsible AI adoption that help leaders determine when and how to deploy these tools ethically — across decision-making, communication, planning and task management. “AI won’t replace leaders,” Mistry concludes, “but leaders who learn to use AI effectively will outperform those who don’t.” ABOUT SALEEM MISTRY Associate Professor of Management Alfred Lerner College of Business & Economics Mistry’s research focuses on the future of work, with a particular emphasis on how individuals navigate workplace transitions. His research explores how people adjust to both minor and major changes in their careers, such as shifts in jobs, responsibilities, teams or entire organizations. A growing area of his expertise is the strategic use of artificial intelligence to enhance productivity for leaders, teams and human resource professionals. His research connects academic insights with practical applications, helping to shape how people and organizations adapt to an evolving professional landscape. Reporters who would like to speak to Mistry can click on his profile.
Multi-university AI research may revolutionize wildfire evacuation
As wildfires grow wilder, the University of Florida and two other universities are developing large language models to make evacuations safer and more efficient. Armed with a nearly $1.2 million National Science Foundation grant, UF, Johns Hopkins University and the University of Utah are creating these AI-based models to simulate human behavior during evacuations – information that will help emergency managers shape more effective evacuation plans. “Strengthening wildfire resilience requires accurate modeling and a deep understanding of collective human behavior during evacuations,” said UF project lead Xilei Zhao, Ph.D., an associate professor with the Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment. “There is a critical need for simulation models that can realistically capture how civilians, incident commanders and public safety officials make protective decisions during wildfires.” Xilei Zhao focuses on developing and applying data and computational science methods to tackle problems in transportation and resilience. View her profile here Existing simulation models face limitations, particularly with reliable predictions under various wildfire scenarios. New AI models can simulate how diverse groups of people behave and interact during the hurried scramble to seek safety. Zhao’s team is developing a convergent AI framework for wildfire evacuation simulations powered by psychological theory-informed large language models. The project will produce simulation methods to promote teaching, training and learning, and support wildfire resilience by allowing public safety officials to use open-access tools. “This research seeks to be a transformative step toward improving the behavioral realism, prediction accuracy and decision-support capability of wildfire evacuation simulation models,” Zhao said. Zhao partnered with John Hopkins professor Susu Xu, Ph.D., and University of Utah professors Thomas Cova, Ph.D., and Frank Drews, Ph.D. The preliminary results of the study were recently presented at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics. “In that paper, we started to train the model on the survey data we collected to see how we can accurately predict people's evacuation decisions with LLMs,” Zhao said. Research objectives include extending the Protective Action Decision Model for civilians and public safety officials, developing psychological theory-informed large language model agents for protective modeling and generating a realistic synthetic population as input for the simulation platform. The team also plans to develop learning-based simulations and predict human behavior under scenarios such as fire spread, warning and infrastructure damage. This research comes at a critical time, as the number of wildfires has significantly increased globally. About 43% of the 200 most damaging fires occurred in the last decade leading up to 2023, according to a recent study in Science. The intensity, size and volume of wildfires are threatening more urban areas. “If you go into the urban area, many people do not have cars, or they need additional mobility support,” Zhao said. “For example, the LA fires impacted nursing homes with a lot of elderly people, many of whom are immobile or lack the ability to drive. That's a big problem. This would be very relevant to them.” The large language models will provide important context for evacuation planning as well as real-time decision making. “We envision this tool being used during planning,” Zhao said, “so emergency managers can test different kinds of scenarios to determine how to draw the evacuation zones, where to issue the orders first and how to design the communications messaging.” This is important research and critical as wildfires become more common across North America. If you're a reporter looking to connect and learn more - then let us help. Xilei Zhao is available to speak with media - simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.
Hurricane Melissa: Preparation, decision making and recovery from potentially 'catastrophic' storm
Hurricane Melissa, now a Category 5 storm, is projected to cause “catastrophic” flooding and inflict severe damage in Jamaica. The University of Delaware’s Disaster Research Center has several experts who can talk about preparations, evacuations, health impacts, decision making and recovery. The following experts in the DRC – which has a few contacts in Jamaica – are available for comment. Jennifer Horney: Health impacts of disasters as well as how cuts to aid and emergency assistance will factor into recovery after the storm. Sarah DeYoung: Pets in emergencies, infant feeding in disasters and decision-making in evacuation. Tricia Wachtendorf: Evacuation decision-making, disaster response and coordination, disaster relief (donations) and logistics, volunteer and emergent efforts, social vulnerability. Jennifer Trivedi: Can talk about preparedness steps and recovery as well as challenges for people with disabilities during disaster, cultural issues and long-term recovery. Shanjia Dong: Research looks at infrastructure systems, critical infrastructure protection, effective disaster preparedness and response, and equitable resilience planning and climate change adaptation. A.R. Siders: Expert on sea level rise and managed retreat – the concept of planned community movement away from coastlines and flood-prone areas. To contact these experts directly and arrange an interview, visit their profiles and click on the "contact" button. Interested reporters can also email MediaRelations@udel.edu.
In a September article featured in Forbes, Marshall Shepherd reports on a new tool launched by Project Drawdown that aims to deliver personalized climate-action strategies to different users—including policymakers, businesses, and individuals. In the piece, he explains that the tool helps match context-specific emissions reduction or resilience options to the particular needs, geography, and capacities of the user, rather than prescribing one-size-fits-all solutions. Shepherd also emphasizes that tools like this can help bridge the gap between climate science and real-world decision-making. He argues that equipping stakeholders with tailored pathways could accelerate uptake of effective interventions by making them more relevant, feasible, and compelling. Ultimately, Shepherd presents the new Drawdown resource as a promising model for democratizing access to climate solutions, enabling individuals and organizations to engage in strategies best suited to their specific circumstances. Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd is a leading international weather-climate expert and is the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia. Dr. Shepherd was the 2013 President of American Meteorological Society (AMS), the nation’s largest and oldest professional/science society in the atmospheric and related sciences. View his profile here Dr. J. Marshall Shepherd is a leading international weather-climate expert and is the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia. He's available to speak with the media about this topic - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.
