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As the old saying goes, being in the right place at the right time has its benefits.

This couldn't be truer for Auburn University's Asim Ali, who seems to have a knack for seizing opportunities.

“I feel like I was made for this moment,” he said. “The vowels in my first name and my last name are both ‘AI.’ I don't know if my parents knew what was going to happen.”

Ali's Auburn story is a testament to the power of timing and the magic that happens when preparation meets opportunity. 

As executive director of the Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, Ali oversees a team of more than 90 professionals. Their main mission — provide professional development programs, services and resources to enhance instructional innovation and support scholarly and creative activities.

“We serve all of campus,” Ali explained. “At the heart of what we do is educating and empowering faculty, staff and students to do their best work possible. When that's your end goal, other things just fall into place.”

When it comes to falling into place on the Plains, perhaps no one has done it better than Ali.

At just 9 years old, Ali moved with his family from New Jersey to Alabama after his father was hired at Tuskegee University to help spearhead the college’s aerospace engineering program.

“I remember telling my cousins that we're moving to a place called Alabama,” Ali recalled. “They were like, ‘where is that?’”

In Auburn, Ali flourished.

He graduated from Auburn High School and went on to earn an undergraduate degree in software engineering at Auburn. He accepted a full-time position in 2004 as an information technology specialist in the College of Education. He held that role for 10 years, during which he earned his master’s degree in information systems management and a doctorate in adult education.

Eleven years ago, Ali founded Auburn Online with the goal of enhancing online and hybrid teaching methods. This initiative proved to be exceptionally timely when COVID-19 struck in 2020.

“After the pandemic, then right along came AI,” he said.

Today, Ali co-leads work on artificial intelligence (AI) for the Office of the Provost. 

He maintains that AI is simply a tool to help us achieve our best work — a means to an end.

“We can't ignore it, it's going to be here,” Ali said. “So, let's be dang good at it — that's the approach we're taking.”

Ali and his team at the Biggio Center work hard to maintain good relationships with top tech companies. Thanks to the partnership with the Office of Information Technology, the center is fully funded to build a framework for how to engage the entire campus on AI. There are multiple committees dedicated to research, infrastructure, ethics and cultural impact.

“We want to make sure people understand what AI is, its impact and how to use it,” Ali said. “We also want to create opportunities for research, experimentation in the classroom, professional opportunities and partnerships with businesses.”

Ali says the Auburn Creed, with its emphasis on human touch, uniquely positions the land-grant institution to be a groundbreaking leader in defining the usage of AI technology — not to replace people, but to improve the overall quality of their work.

“We don't want a chatbot replacing people — that's not Auburn, that's not who we are or how we operate,” he said.

Numerous Auburn instructors and students are taking full advantage of emerging AI technology advancements in virtually every college. The Biggio Center has created courses like "Teaching with AI" and "How to AI" and has even launched a new AI course designed for K-12 teachers and administrators.

They’ve also developed a course for the Southeastern Conference AI Consortium, making it available for all 16 universities in the SEC to use, as well as the entire Alabama Community College System.

More than 14,000 faculty across the world have engaged in the course, elevating the Auburn brand.

“I'm living a dream,” Ali said. “It’s an honor to be able to dictate some of the direction of what we're doing, make meaningful change, set some guidelines and boundaries and help people propel into the future.”

In addition to his administrative duties, Ali teaches an "Introduction to Information Systems Management" class every semester for 130 students in the Harbert College of Business, where he incorporates the use of AI tools in his teaching.

“I have my students use AI in class so they can develop their skills,” Ali said. “My goal is for them to confidently be able to say they understand the emerging technology of our time. I want them to be the best candidate when they go in for that future job interview.”

For Ali, his job remains all about paving the way for students and colleagues to blaze their own trail to success — one byte at a time.

“It’s a blessing to be at this institution that I love, working alongside incredibly talented people who are invested in the work they're doing,” he said.

Want to tap into the university’s latest AI resources? Visit the Biggio Center for a list of cutting-edge learning experiences available.