John O'Brien (CEO of EDUCAUSE) on AI slop, the future of the CIO, and skipping the messy middle

Recorded on-site at EDUCAUSE 2026 in Denver, inside the Info-Tech Research Group booth, this episode brings together John O'Brien (President & CEO, EDUCAUSE) and Mark Roman (Managing Partner, Education, Info-Tech Research Group). John has led EDUCAUSE since 2015, and Mark was a CIO for a long time before working with colleges and universities around the world. John and Mark dig into where people still matter when the answers come from machines. John raises a question that could reshape higher ed: if human connection becomes the premium experience, who gets access to it, and who is left with only automated alternatives? Mark makes the case that a CIO who sees across the whole institution could rise to COO, and the conversation lands on the messy middle of learning that AI lets students skip. Timestamps (00:00) Intro to John O'Brien and Mark Roman (02:55) College Isn't About the Knowledge (05:50) Moving Up Bloom's Taxonomy (10:40) Earning a Seat at the Table (11:40) Skipping the Messy Middle (14:20) The Future of the CIO (17:05) The AI Slop Divide (18:50) What John Is Proudest Of (21:00) From Young Professional to Board Chair (25:30) An Appeal to Kindness (25:45) Promoted, Still Doing the Old Job (26:35) Start With Values Connect with the Guests 💼 John's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnobrienphd/ 💼 Mark's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markromanlinkedin/ Connect with Me 🌐 Full episode & transcript: https://podcast.techtables.com/educause-john-obrien-ai-slop/ 📬 Newsletter: https://techtables.com/ 🎙️ Podcast: https://podcast.techtables.com/ 🤝 Community: https://techtables.com/communities-local-government 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jtoste/ 💼 Powered By Info-Tech Research Group, Verizon, Carahsoft, & NinjaOne https://podcast.techtables.com/sponsors/ 💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-public-sector-show-by-techtables/id1661752549 🟢 Leave a rating on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0bFQBsDwKJkdNk2qENkhNL?si=0436c0c2ebca488e