Diya Shah – 2025 Annual Conference Student Scholar Reflection

I had an incredible opportunity to attend the Public Risk Management Conference Association (PRIMA) Conference in Seattle, representing my university as a student scholar. Attending a national conference as a student who loves to meet new people has been such a wonderful experience. As a student attending my first Risk Management conference, I expected to learn about public safety and Insurance strategies.

One of the breakout room sessions I had attended stood out to me the most was on generations in this AI society. Also another breakout room that had also stood out to me was AI governance in local government. These two sessions combined had questioned me. In many ways, How has AI affected today's generations? Yet transparency is always lacking.

As a student, I’ve always viewed AI as a powerful, and fascinating tool. It truly has transformed so much already in many generations like baby boomers, gen X, millennials, and gen Z. Learning about different generations during the breakout session had taught me so much in depth of AI. But hearing risks professionals talk about bias in such criminal systems, predictive policy algorithms. Overall hearing from professionals made me realize the word fear connected with AI has a lot to do with it and how serious risks are. Studies have also shown AI tools have been replicated and affecting society in a non-appropriate way.

What struck me was that there were so many young professionals in the room that were also risk managers and government officials. As students us innovators, leaders, and young professionals, we will inherit the solutions and risks. As someone who relies on digital media, I haven’t realized how easily the truth can be changed and manipulated. There isn’t just technical risk but there is also societal risk. It’s crazy to say how AI will change the environment in how we shape, live, and learn. We are in a generation where we carry AI in our pockets like an everyday essential. We are in a risk of public risks, policies, and ethics where it's more tech-savvy now and advanced.

Personally, I have been so inspired by many young professionals in all the rooms like risk managers, lawyers, and local government leaders. All of these professionals have some kind of part in critical thinking in many complex issues. The line between fiction and fact is getting more difficult to see, there's not only technical risks but both technical and societal risks.

I left the PRIMA conference not only feeling more curious but also very passionate about this field. It showed every sense of purpose, and taught me responsibility. In the future I want to work in the consulting aspect of management information systems and risk, but also from there be a corporate or malpractice lawyer. I want to make sure my generation doesn’t inherit the issues caused by technical issues. AI will continue to change, adapt, and learn but will be used properly in respectable stances.

Thank you to PRIMA for this amazing opportunity!