Grant Award Announcement: Advancing Ethical AI Literacy at Guttman - 01-29-26

January, 29, 2026 -I'm excited to share some news: Dr. Meghan Gilbert and I have been awarded $24,500 from the CUNY Office of Academic Affairs to lead the AI Literacy Connected School Initiative at Guttman Community College—a campus-wide effort to build ethical, equitable AI education from the ground up.

What We're Building

This isn't about teaching people which AI tools to use. It's about establishing AI literacy as academic decision architecture—a framework that helps faculty and students think critically about how AI shapes teaching, learning, and assessment across disciplines.

We're building around four pillars:

  • Governance – Institutional policies that guide responsible AI use

  • Assessment Integrity – Protecting academic rigor while embracing new pedagogies

  • Equity – Ensuring AI access and literacy don't widen existing gaps

  • Faculty Scalability – Creating sustainable models that work across courses and departments

The goal is to strengthen the student experience while staying aligned with accreditation expectations, including standards from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Why This Partnership Works

Dr. Gilbert brings deep expertise in first-year learning and inclusive pedagogy. I bring experience in AI-informed curriculum design. Together, we're focused on integration that's both responsible and realistic—starting with foundational courses and building outward in ways that faculty can actually sustain.

What's Next

We'll complete the initiative within this fiscal year and present our findings, lessons learned, and an adaptable framework this fall. The idea is to create something other programs can learn from and build on.

Grateful to the CUNY Office of Academic Affairs and Guttman Community College for making this work possible.

Innovation in Motion - 10-25-25

November 25, 2025 - I’m excited to share that six of my AI-driven technologies have now been filed as provisional patent applications with the USPTO. These technologies span adaptive learning, avatar-based simulation, symbolic branding, and trademark signal intelligence — and they form the foundation of a startup currently in development.

Here’s what we’re building toward: Adaptive Curriculum Generation
Cognitive Modeling for Neurodiverse Personalization
Avatar-Driven Simulation with Ethical Override Logic
Modular Learning Infrastructure & IP Containerization
Trademark Signal Intelligence & Symbolic Identity Engine
XR Deployment Layer for Scalable Learning Experiences

This work is aimed at transforming how we learn, brand, and interact with intelligent systems — especially in immersive and personalized environments.

Grateful to Texas A&M Innovation and Jean-leah Njoroge (Jean-leah N. - Texas A&M University - Austin, Texas Metropolitan Area | LinkedIn) for supporting this journey. More to come soon!

#AI #EdTech #XR #SymbolicIntelligence #StartupInProgress #Innovation #Neurodiversity #IPCommercialization

Ph.D. Graduation Announcement – AI, XR, and Virtual film Production Systems for Adaptive Learning-8-26-25

New York – August 26, 2025. I am proud to share that I have earned my Ph.D. in Architecture (Visualization) from Texas A&M University, specializing in AI, XR, and virtual film production systems for adaptive learning and immersive media.

My dissertation, The Avatar Effect, developed a framework for AI-assisted virtual production, adaptive curriculum design, learner profiling, and industry-aligned pedagogy in filmmaking education. This research generated 6 patent disclosures (39 modular inventions) in AI curriculum engines, XR production pipelines, and intelligent media systems, filed with Texas A&M’s Innovation Center.

Looking ahead, I am focused on scaling these innovations through strategic partnerships with universities, creative studios, and media technology companies, while pursuing executive leadership roles in R&D strategy and immersive learning systems.

Beyond the immediate goals lies a transformative vision: reimagining the future of human creativity and storytelling in an AI-enabled world, where education and entertainment converge to unlock new possibilities for expression and learning.

Instead of attending the formal commencement ceremony, I chose to celebrate this milestone in the best way possible—spending quality time with my family in Asbury Park. For me, there’s no better way to honor this achievement than creating memories with those who matter most to me by the ocean.

I am deeply grateful to my committee chair Dr. Gregory Luhan, co-chair Dr. Stephen Caffey, and committee members Dr. Gregory Chamitoff, Professor Krista Steinke and Professor David Irving for their invaluable guidance throughout this journey.

Let’s connect to explore opportunities to collaborate, commercialize, or build together.

Gig 'em!

— Jason R. Spencer, Ph.D.Principal Inventor & Systems Architect | AI + XR Learning Engines | linkedin.com/in/jasonrspencer