GoKawiil“Can I get an interview?” “Can I get a job when I graduate?” Those questions came from students during a candid discussion about artificial intelligence, capturing the anxiety many young people feel today. As companies adopt AI-driven interview screeners, restructure their workforces, and redirect billions of dollars toward AI infrastructure, students are increasingly unsure of what the future of work will look like.
We had gathered people together at a coffee shop in Auburn, Alabama, for what we called an AI Café. The event was designed to confront concerns about AI directly, demystifying the technology while pushing back against the growing narrative of technological doom.
AI is reshaping society at breathtaking speed. Yet the trajectory of this transformation is being charted primarily by for-profit tech companies, whose priorities revolve around market dominance rather than public welfare. Many people feel that AI is something being done to them rather than developed with them.
As computer science and liberal arts faculty at Auburn University, we believe there is another path forward: one where scholars engage their communities in genuine dialogue about AI. Not to lecture about technical capabilities, but to listen, learn, and co-create a vision for AI that serves the public interest.
The AI Café Model
Last November, we ran two public AI Cafés in Auburn. These were informal, 90-minute conversations between faculty, students, and community members about their experiences with AI. In these conversational forums, participants sat in clusters, questions flowed in multiple directions, and lived experience carried as much weight as technical expertise.
We avoided jargon and resisted attempts to “correct” misconceptions, welcoming whatever emotions emerged. One ground rule proved crucial: keeping discussions in the present, asking participants where they encounter AI today. Without that focus, conversations could easily drift to sci-fi speculation. Historical analogies—to the printing press, electricity, and smartphones—helped people contextualize their reactions. And we found that without shared definitions of AI, people talked past each other; we learned to ask participants to name specific tools they were concerned about.
Organizers Xaq Frohlich, Cheryl Seals, and Joan Harrell (right) held their first AI Café in a welcoming coffee shop and bookstore. Well Red
Most important, we approached these events not as experts enlightening the masses, but as community members navigating complex change together.
What We Learned by Listening
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