Getting our heads around AI

Whether we like it or not, artificial intelligence (AI) has also made its way into the world of international higher education, and it is here to stay! At the 2025 EAIE conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, the topic of AI was addressed and discussed in various sessions and settings, and we’re continuing the conversation in this instalment of the EAIE podcast. There’s a whole world of AI out there to explore. Still, in this episode, we are particularly focusing on the potential applications of AI within the fields of marketing, recruitment and admissions, as well as student mobility.

EAIE Podcast host Laura Rumbley talks to Brian Piper, an author and award-winning international keynote speaker who decided to dive into the world of AI in 2021. Brian shares insights into how AI can be utilised in student recruitment, the ethical considerations that need to be taken into account and the AI developments that are most likely to have a significant impact on IHE marketing in the next few years. Laura is also joined by Noah Charpentier, a student in Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, as well as the national president of ESN Belgium. Noah shares the student perspective on the topic of AI, exploring how students utilise AI, the main differences in approach to AI between students and staff and what aspects of the future of AI excite him the most.

About Brian Piper

Brian Piper is an author, award-winning international keynote speaker, and consultant. Brian has been optimising digital content since 1996. He has created online training programmes for dozens of companies, including Xerox, L3Harris, IBM, and Volvo, and has spoken at hundreds of conferences and events. He has spent the last eight years focusing on data analytics, digital marketing, and content strategy. Since 2021, he has been diving into AI, web3, community building, and the metaverse. Brian was named one of the top higher education marketers to follow in 2023 and 2024. When he’s not creating data visualisations, he teaches wingsuit skydiving and spends time with his wife and six children.

About Noah Charpentier

Noah Charpentier (he/him) is the current National President of ESN (Erasmus Student Network) Belgium, where he manages 18 local sections and works to improve the lives of international students while promoting greater and better access to mobility. Alongside this, he’s a Bachelor’s student in Data Science & Artificial Intelligence at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. In April 2025, he co-created and presented the session ‘Er-AI-smus: how will AI impact mobility?’ at the Erasmus Generation Meeting 2025 (Ancona), where he discussed how AI could transform student mobility and support IROs.