MAIS Student Laila Shaheen Transforms the AI Landscape with Educator-based Venture

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has rapidly transformed various sectors, from finance to industry, and has now trickled its way into the realm of education. While AI offers immense potential, its unchecked use raises serious concerns, particularly questions around ethics, academic integrity, and transparency. The influence of AI on discourse and the uncertainty about its role in universities have prompted urgent discussions on the need for regulation.

To protect academic integrity and ensure that intelligent machines serve as a supportive tool rather than a disruptive force, it is no surprise that there is a growing need for universities to invest in AI education and regulation throughout the innovation process. But translating AI’s complexity into actionable strategies for academia is a gap waiting to be filled. 

Enter Laila Shaheen, a first-year student in the Master of Arts in International Studies (MAIS) program, who saw an opportunity to bridge this divide.

As a graduate of UBC’s International Relations program, Shaheen sought a postgraduate program that would fuel her interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary interests in technology, geopolitics, finance, and political economy. At the School for International Studies (SIS), she found a place that would satisfy her growing curiosities and provide clear direction for her career, offering exceptional support to turn her ideas into promising ventures. 

“Now, as I near the end of my first year, I can confidently say that MAIS, both the program and its faculty, is the best place for individuals who like to push past the boundaries of traditional and rigid disciplines,” she shares.

Shaheen became intrigued by the impact that artificial intelligence was having on higher education. Her journey into the realm of AI took flight in the fall of 2023, during a conversation with SIS Director and Associate Professor Elizabeth Cooper, which led to Shaheen’s first-ever workshop on AI for the faculty of International Studies. From there, she got in touch with the SFU Library to host an AI workshop for them. Her supervisor, Professor Gerardo Otero, also played a role in refining her ideas and introducing her to potential collaborators. Soon, Shaheen realized she had struck gold.

"After each workshop, I would get asked to do more workshops, then speaking engagements, and finally, I realized that there is an obvious need for this kind of service,” she says. “What universities, especially faculties that are not tech-oriented, need is someone to translate the complexity of AI into relevant and understandable terms and... provide concise, accessible, and actionable insights.” 

Recognizing the growing demand for AI literacy in academia, Shaheen founded HighrEd AI, a service designed to empower faculty, staff, and university administrators through AI literacy training, consultation, and customized workshops. Their mission is to seamlessly integrate AI into teaching, learning, and research while safeguarding academic integrity. 

But she could certainly not get to this point on her own. Shaheen’s venture was supported by SFU’s Entrepreneurship Graduate Internship (eGrad), a new program offered by the Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship. eGrad, made possible due to a 10-year donation from SFU alumnus John Gross of Peak Products, provided Shaheen with mentorship, financial support, and the space to grow her idea into a thriving business. “If MAIS was the place of conception, the Chang Institute is where HighrEd AI grew from an idea to a functioning venture,” says Shaheen.

With the help of Chang Institute mentors like Tim Ames, Rochelle Grayson, and Doug Fast, Shaheen secured strategic partnerships, expanded her workshops, grew her team, and landed her first major client. 

Shaheen is busier than ever currently organizing The AI-Enabled Educator professional development conference, the inaugural Canada-wide virtual AI event for the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, set for October 16, 2024. The conference will feature amazing speakers from across Canada and the U.S. as well as industry partners who are creating the very tools students are using.

As HighrEd AI continues to gain momentum, Shaheen is poised to help universities across the country navigate the complexities of integrating AI into education. Her work ensures that this powerful technology can confidently be integrated and regulated in university teaching and research practices.

And it turns out, Shaheen is not the only enterprising student coming out of the School for International Studies. “I recently found out that there were two IS students as clients in the incubator. So clearly, SIS has its fair share of entrepreneurs,” Shaheen says with a laugh.

For International Studies students considering applying their degree to opportunities such as entrepreneurship, Shaheen offers this advice: "Our positionality and openness as an interdisciplinary field, our natural curiosity about global issues, historical trends, and social dynamics, and our deep appreciation of the multifaceted nature of problems makes us naturally entrepreneurial. So lean into that! Also, highly recommend you read ‘Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World’ by David Epstein and ‘Skip the Line’ by James Altucher.”

Learn more about the Master of Arts in International Studies.