When thinking about the future of AI, social work may not be the first field that comes to mind. However, researchers and educators at UNC’s School of Social Work have long been engaged in AI-related projects and have unique insights to share about how the technology can be used to address important social problems.
This panel discussion between School of Social Work faculty will explore current and potential uses of AI in social work research and education and key ethical considerations related to its use in the field. The panelists include experts with more than a decade of experience in AI-involved research as well as relatively recent adopters of the technology.
The panel will be moderated by Kathy Colville, Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Outreach, and feature the following panelists:
Eric Rice
Distinguished Professor
Associate Dean of Research and Faculty Development
Gordon Berg and Martha Beach Chair in Community Social Work
Rice’s current work focuses on the application of AI technologies to assist persons living with homelessness and the organizations that serve them. For the past decade, he has worked with colleagues in computer science to merge social work science and AI, seeking novel solutions to major social problems such as homelessness, suicide, and HIV. In 2016, along with Milind Tambe, he founded the University of Southern California’s Center for AI in Society, the world’s first university-based center merging AI and social work.
Heidi McNeilly
Clinical Assistant Professor, Adams School of Dentistry
Adjunct Assistant Professor, School of Social Work
McNeilly’s work involves integrating social work services into dental education to enhance patient care and improve access for underserved populations, and her current research focus is the integration of AI into education. To this end, she recently led a team that developed an AI chatbot to help dental students build patient communication skills. In 2026, McNeilly was named the UNC Center for Faculty Excellence’s Faculty Fellow for Generative AI and Clinical Education. The fellowship will support her efforts to build resources related to the instructional needs and challenges presented by generative AI for faculty members campuswide.
Hsun-Ta Hsu
Associate Professor & John A. Tate Early Career Scholar, School of Social Work
Associate Professor, School of Data and Information Sciences
Hsu has long been interested in how artificial intelligence can help people make complex decisions with consistency, but he also recognizes the ethical and fairness challenges that AI-aided decision-making may pose for disenfranchised communities. His recent work adopts a community-engaged data science approach to promoting health and housing outcomes among individuals experiencing homelessness by engaging stakeholders to co-develop AI tools that address their most pressing needs in ways that are both efficient and equitable. Hsu also teaches courses on AI, including a new offering entitled AI for Social Good and Social Work Practice: Ethical and Applied Perspectives.
Stephanie Panke
Director of Digital Learning and Innovation, School of Social Work
Panke is actively engaged in researching, promoting, and advocating for the responsible and effective integration of AI—particularly generative AI—into educational practices. Her work includes research on GenAI in academic writing, teaching, and instructional design, with contributions to a Journal of Teacher Education special issue and an edited, student-authored e-book on GenAI in education. Recently, Panke and School of Social Work colleague Tina Souders were awarded a 2025–26 CFE/Lenovo Instructional Innovation Grant from the UNC Center for Faculty Excellence to support the School’s online MSW program through the use of AI to assist in the development of high-quality, immersive, and accessible multimedia learning materials, particularly case studies and simulations.