Internationally recognized expert on generative AI’s role in education, writing expert and educator
Marc Watkins directs the AI Institute for Teachers and is an Assistant Director of Academic Innovation at the University of Mississippi, where he is a Lecturer in Writing and Rhetoric. He has led research initiatives, exploring generative AI’s impact on student learning, training workshops for faculty on AI literacy, and multiple institution-wide AI institutes. His work with generative AI in education predates ChatGPT and he advocates approaching the technology’s integration in education with curious skepticism. When training faculty in applied artificial intelligence, he believes educators should be equally supported if they choose to work with AI or include friction to curb AI’s influence on student learning.
Watkins’ work with training faculty in AI literacy has been profiled in The Washington Post. He regularly writes about AI and education on his Substack Rhetorica.
Watkins has spoken to colleges, universities, and private organizations across the globe, including Stanford, Brigham Young University, Grammarly, The Southeastern Conference, and the Northwest Commission of Colleges & Universities. He’s also worked with K-12 schools on AI literacy efforts.
Watkins’ award-winning writing has been reprinted in the Pushcart Prize and appeared in over a dozen literary journals, including Boulevard, Litmag, StoryQuarterly, Third Coast, and elsewhere. As an educator, his work with Open Educational Resources was recognized by Blackboard with a 2018 Catalyst Award for Teaching and Learning.
