In this bonus episode of Higher Intelligence, Dr. JC Bonilla sits down with Claire Zau at the 2025 Agentic AI and the Student Experience conference to unpack the evolving landscape of agentic AI. They explore the shift from perception and generative AI to agentic AI that acts independently, discuss its transformative potential in higher education, and share insights on student experience, workflow automation, and ROI. Claire Zau offers candid thoughts on what’s hype versus real, why action and velocity matter, and which innovations excite her most in the rapidly advancing AI ecosystem.

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Connect With Our Co-Host:
Dr. JC Bonilla
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcbonilla/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Generation AI is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Explore the rise of agentic AI in higher education with Brian Gann, Vice President for Enrollment & Student Services at Wake Technical Community College, and Justin May, Chief Officer of Enrollment Management at Richard Bland College, who discuss how colleges are integrating AI agents to support enrollment, advising, and student services. The conversation covers the latest AI advancements, practical deployment strategies, overcoming staff fears, and building scalable solutions. Listeners gain insights into real-world success stories, MVP approaches, and the evolving relationship between human staff and AI assistants on the modern campus.

- - - -

Connect With Our Co-Host:
Dr. JC Bonilla
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcbonilla/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Generation AI is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this bonus episode, we revisit JC's conversation with Kelly Sinacola this week at the AI Engage Summit, where they break down the architecture behind an agentic campus—and what it truly means to be “AI-ready.” Agentic AI can only perform as well as the data ecosystem that powers it. As campuses move toward AI-driven operations, the institutions that succeed will be those that unify data, eliminate silos, and create real-time context that AI agents can understand and act on.

- - - -

Connect With Our Co-Host:
Dr. JC Bonilla
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcbonilla/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Generation AI is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

JC Bonilla is joined by Ty Fujimura and Sydney Blozan of Element451 to unpack the recent leap in AI’s capabilities — from being just a tool to becoming a trusted teammate. Together, they explore the Claude vs. ChatGPT debate, and the real-world implications of these tools on workflows, strategy, and higher ed operations. This fast-paced, insight-packed conversation gives higher ed leaders and enrollment marketers a glimpse into the AI-powered future that’s already here.

- - - -

Connect With Our Co-Host:
Dr. JC Bonilla
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcbonilla/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Generation AI is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to the debut episode of Higher Intelligence, a podcast that delivers smart takes on AI and EdTech for the next-generation campus. As our first guest, host Dr. JC Bonilla is joined by Dr. Paul Russo, Vice Provost and Founding Dean of the Katz School of Science and Health at Yeshiva University. Together, they break down AI trends reshaping the future of higher education. From autonomous agents and ambient AI to data infrastructure and institutional readiness, this episode unpacks what’s hype and what’s real — and what campus leaders should be doing now to avoid getting left behind.

- - - -

Connect With Our Co-Host:
Dr. JC Bonilla
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcbonilla/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Generation AI is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Higher Intelligence podcast delivers smart takes on AI and EdTech for the next-generation campus. Hosted by EdTech executive, data scientist, and professor Dr. JC Bonilla, the show breaks down the most important AI stories, explains how the technology works, and translates hype into real implications for higher education leaders.

Join us twice weekly for clear thinking with no noise — just AI and EdTech, explained for higher education.

- - - -

Connect With Our Co-Host:
Dr. JC Bonilla
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcbonilla/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Generation AI is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the final episode of Generation AI, hosts Ardis Kadiu and JC Bonilla close out their influential podcast series with a candid and reflective conversation on the past two years of demystifying artificial intelligence in higher education. This capstone episode unpacks their motivation for launching the show, what they learned along the way, and how AI adoption has evolved across higher ed institutions. With Ardis transitioning from Element451 into his next professional chapter, the episode serves as both a farewell and a look forward.

- - - -

Connect With Our Co-Host:
Dr. JC Bonilla
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcbonilla/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Generation AI is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dr. JC Bonilla and Ardis Kadiu dive into the shifting landscape of artificial intelligence—from industry layoffs and OpenAI’s trillion-dollar ambitions to what they’re hearing on the ground at higher education conferences. With thousands of miles traveled and dozens of conversations had with CIOs, trustees, and technologists, this episode explores how AI is reshaping org charts, influencing new browser experiences, and slowly (but surely) becoming a real operational force across campuses. If you're curious about how agentic AI is showing up in enrollment marketing and student success, this is a must-listen.

00:00 "AI Signals and Impacts"

06:09 Amazon Restructures for Growth

08:01 OpenAI Shifts to For-Profit Model

10:41 "From Dot-Com Bust to AI Boom"

13:55 "Sora 2: Revolutionizing Media Creation"

17:49 Navigating IP and Content Challenges

23:43 "OpenAI's Chromium-Based Innovation"

25:04 Integrated Browsing Experience Insights

29:04 "Agentic AI Shaping Economy"

32:49 Driving Change in Education Leadership

33:56 Evolving AI Trends in Education

39:35 "Data Integration for Autonomy"

43:02 "Transitioning to Agentic Workflows"

45:07 AI: Operational Enabler, Not Novelty

47:51 Driving Adoption for Agentic Workflows

51:27 Generation AI: Enrollify Podcast Network

- - - -

Connect With Our Co-Host:
Dr. JC Bonilla
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jcbonilla/

About The Enrollify Podcast Network:
Generation AI is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you’ll like other Enrollify shows too!

Enrollify is made possible by Element451. Learn more at element451.com.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.