Jacksonville University team shines in International AI Innovation Challenge
The 'lexperience' team was led by JU College of Law Dean Nick Allard, four JU College of Law faculty, a Rhodes Scholar, and a JU visiting professor
Jacksonville University lexperience Team, from the left, includes Courtney Barclay, Daria Sinyagovskaya, Matthew Reiber, Aimee Clesi, Scott Devito, and Latisha Nixon-Jones. “JU’s success in the Kevin Xu Innovation Challenge, vying with other outstanding rivals from all over the world, unquestionably is a proud pivotal moment for our law school, university, and the Jacksonville community and marks the world class cross disciplinary caliber of our college of law and university faculty,” said Jacksonville University College of Law Dean Nicholas Allard.
A team of Jacksonville University faculty presented in the finals of an international technology innovation competition on November 2, during the Rhodes Annual Forum on Technology and Society hosted at Rhodes House in Oxford, England.
The presentation detailed the goals and next steps for continued development of “lexperience,” an artificial intelligence driven, immersive learning experience based on a video game platform that promises to revolutionize how legal skills are taught and used.
The Kevin Xu Innovation Challenge asked innovators worldwide to consider and share ideas on how AI can be a tool for empowerment that fosters meaningful human development. Members of the Rhodes and Equitech networks were invited to submit ideas intended to advance a future in which AI supports inclusivity and equity and that promotes an approach based on principles of lifelong learning.
“Lexperience advances these purposes by using AI to fill a gap in legal education,” said Scott DeVito, a professor in the Jacksonville University College of Law leading the development of the project. “The kind of reiterative practice and instant feedback that you can achieve with AI hasn’t been possible in traditional educational settings. This will increase the access to legal training and decrease the costs associated with that training.”
The AI-powered immersive learning product developed by the JU team incorporates reiterative game modules that simulate trial scenarios and respond to the user’s experience, according to the university. Using this advanced technology, students and practitioners can prepare for the practice of law through adaptive and variable repetition.
The lexperience team is led by Jacksonville University College of Law Dean Nicholas Allard, a Rhodes Scholar alumnus, and current Rhodes Scholar Aimee Clesi, studying Criminology and Criminal Justice. The team includes faculty members from the college of law, Courtney Barclay, Scott DeVito, Latisha Nixon-Jones, and Matthew Reiber, and Daria Sinyagovskaya, a visiting faculty member at JU specializing in game design and development.
“JU’s success in the Kevin Xu Innovation Challenge, vying with other outstanding rivals from all over the world, unquestionably is a proud pivotal moment for our law school, university, and the Jacksonville community and marks the world class cross disciplinary caliber of the our college of law and university faculty,” said Allard. “It also underscores the significance of JU President Tim Cost’s visionary charge to our faculty to embrace the possibilities of improving how we teach, study, and use AI and other new technology.”
Finalists in the Innovation Challenge were chosen through a competitive process, which included workshops focused on business development strategies for technology innovations. The final presentations were judged by experts in technology, venture capital investments, and entrepreneurship. As a finalist, lexperience will benefit from continued mentoring from these experts, which will be a key element to expanding the work the JU team is already doing to revolutionize education and training in the legal industry, according to the university.
