Bethany Community Explores the Future of AI With Google Education Leader Steven Butschi 

BETHANY, W.Va. (Sept. 29, 2026) — What started as a conversation about artificial intelligence quickly became a hands-on experience for students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community members to explore the technology for themselves during the 2026 Grimes Lecture Series at Bethany College on Saturday, Sept. 19. 

Steven Butschi, Google’s director of education, North America, and a member of the Bethany College Board of Trustees, returned to campus to lead the conversation, bringing his experience in education and technology to help attendees consider how artificial intelligence is changing the way people learn and work. 

Butschi’s return also carried a personal connection to the College. In addition to serving on the Board of Trustees, he has maintained ties to Bethany since receiving an honorary doctorate in education from the College in 2023. His experience working with educators and students across North America gave him a perspective that reached beyond the technology itself. 

During the presentation, Butschi demonstrated how AI tools such as Google’s Gemini can help users work with information in new ways. He showed how students can upload lecture notes, PDFs, and audio recordings to explore course material, ask questions, and create new formats such as podcasts and infographics. He also demonstrated how AI can assist with research by analyzing information from multiple sources and identifying common themes. 

Butschi emphasized that while AI can support learning and help educators save time on administrative tasks, it should not replace the human connections that are central to education. He pointed to the importance of educators engaging with students and providing the reinforcement, interaction, and foundational knowledge that AI cannot replace. 

“AI is a tool, and the humans control it, so we should be putting up guardrails,” said Butschi. “Learning is inherently very slow. You want that validation, that recognition, and it’s a reinforcement process. I don’t think that will be replaced.” 

The 2026 Grimes Lecture was held during Bethany’s Back to the Future Homecoming Weekend, bringing the College community together with a speaker whose work sits at the intersection of education, technology, and the future of learning.