I attended Construct I/O 2025: The Builder’s Summit at The Ohio Union in Columbus, Ohio, a full-day event hosted by the Center for Software Innovation at Ohio State University. The summit brought together technologists, educators, artists, and futurists to explore how AI is reshaping our world. Discussions on Ohio positioning itself as the Silicon Heartland were mentioned with rhetoric of AI being harnessed as a tool, not job displacement.
President Carter: From Fighter Jets to Drone Autonomy
OSU President Carter shared his experience flying military aircraft like Tomcats and Phantoms. He drew connections from the hands-free, throttle-free technologies of the 1980s to today’s autonomous drones. His message was clear: technological evolution isn’t about job displacement; it’s about liberating labor for creativity. Carter’s optimism stood out in a time when AI often triggers fear. He sees automation not as a threat, but as a tool to unlock human potential.
Tina Tallon: AI as Assistive Technology in Music
Faculty, composer, and technologist Tina Tallon offered a human perspective on AI’s role in accessibility. Her work explores how AI can support musicians with low vision by mapping sheet music into tactile formats and enabling haptic feedback through wearables. Tallon’s approach reframes AI not as a replacement for human artistry, but as a bridge to inclusion. There is still much work to be done with artists getting paid and rather thanfalse AI idolsprofiting. It was a reminder that innovation must be empathetic, not just efficient.
David Staley: The Rise of the Self and Its AI Agents
Futurist David Staley took the stage with a provocative vision: in the near future, each of us will have a central “self” connected to a constellation of AI agents. These agents will handle everything from attending meetings to making…breakfast decisions. A playful joke on AI choosing whole-grain cereal over your preferred sugary option, funny but challenges our notions of identity, agency, and delegation. Do you want the AI to choose for you, when it’s your best interests? For more of Staley’s insights, I recommend his “One Sentence a Day” Substack, which distills his ideas into daily reflections:https://substack.com/@davidjstaley.
Ohio’s Moment: Building the Future in Columbus
While Construct I/O celebrated Ohio’s emergence as the “Silicon Heartland,” I remain cautiously optimistic about that moniker. It’s tempting to compare Ohio to Silicon Valley or Austin, but I believe Ohio will chart its own path—one that isn’t an imitation, but a reinvention. And I would be remiss to not mention thestalled Intel developmentthat also carried the same slogan.
Many of the speakers at the summit were either Ohio alumni or former residents. They spoke candidly about living in Ohio while working remotely for companies based elsewhere. This hybrid identity, rooted locally but employed globally, is becoming a defining feature of our workforce. I foresee this trend continuing, especially in tech.
But it raises important questions:
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- How does Ohio manage talent that lives here but doesn’t work here?
- How do we maintain competitive wages in a global remote economy?
These questions have lingered since the pandemic. While higher education may be pushing toward a return to the office, the tech industry seems to have no such barriers. Instead, the industry thrives on a global presence and an “always-on” culture. One startup at the summit even remarked about working 120 hours per week.
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- In this climate of relentless productivity, what trades are we making?
- Can AI help us offload some of this burden, or do we still need a human in the loop to lead these decisions?
The topic of AI continually invokes both technical ethical reflections. The conference slogan, “move fast, build things”, a nod to the popular rapid prototyping method used in tech. While that aligns for industry, how do we as in higher education sharpen the pedagogical tools to ensure our students do not misuse AI? Admittedly, higher education is moving quickly, but is it enough for industry? The provost, Ravi V. Bellamkonda, mentioned that OSU will figure out how AI plays a role in each domain. The factor will be our community on how we discover what can be managed with AI and without sacrificing wellness and creativity.
Andy Vogel is an Instructional Design Specialist at The Ohio State University where he blends emerging tech with hands-on learning. His recent work includes VR collaborations projects that explore how immersive tools can enhance engineering education. Andy’s focus is on making complex concepts accessible—and fun—through creative design and strategic tech integration
