Guest Lecture: Elon University

AI: More Excited or Concerned? Reflections from a Guest Lecture at Elon University

APAC Advisors recently hosted a guest lecture with students from Elon University’s Martha and Spencer Love School of Business during their visit to Singapore, centred on a simple but revealing question: are students more excited or more concerned about artificial intelligence?

For many of the students, this was their first structured discussion on AI beyond the technology itself. The conversation quickly moved from innovation and opportunity to the broader societal challenges that AI adoption will bring—particularly environmental impacts, job displacement, and the lack of clear strategies and resources to address these risks.

The perspectives shared by the students underscored a growing awareness that AI is not just a technological shift, but a political, economic, and social one. Concerns raised in the United States are unlikely to remain contained; resistance and backlash are already forming and will increasingly be felt globally as AI becomes more deeply embedded across economies.

The discussion also touched on the changing world order and what these shifts mean for global perceptions of the United States, including the growing pressure on what has traditionally been understood as “Brand America.”

Alongside these themes, APAC Advisors used the session to share two core career lessons with the students—principles that apply just as much in the age of AI as they do in geopolitics more broadly.

First, the importance of differentiation. In an increasingly competitive and uncertain market, students are encouraged to develop unique combinations of skills and perspectives that allow them to stand out. Second, the value of building and sustaining strong networks. Relationships, mentorship, and professional communities remain central to navigating change and creating long-term opportunities.

APAC Advisors thanks the students for their thoughtful engagement and candid discussion. Conversations like these are critical as the next generation prepares to navigate a world shaped by both rapid technological change and shifting geopolitical realities.