Ken Collins returns to Syracuse University’s AI Creative Summit

Rochester-area AI and marketing expert Ken Collins will return to Syracuse University’s AI Creative Summit on Nov. 13–14 for a second straight year. He will present, mentor and judge in the event’s new Product Design and Development track as students explore how AI is changing software creation.

Why it matters: - The summit is widening from creative AI into product development, giving students a direct look at how AI is being used to build software and digital products. - Collins brings more than 25 years of software, web and marketing technology experience to the event. - The event also connects students with industry mentors, judges and hands-on project work.

What happened: - Syracuse University selected Ken Collins to return to the AI Creative Summit for a second consecutive year. - The summit takes place Nov. 13–14, 2026, at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in Syracuse. - Collins will serve as presenter, mentor, panelist and judge in the summit’s Product Design and Development track. - Collins is Director of Research and Development at YPC Media. - Collins also founded ezad.com, an AI-powered digital advertising platform.

The details: - Collins will help students examine how AI is changing the design, development and launch of software applications. - The 2026 summit expands into two educational tracks: one focused on AI-generated media and one focused on product design, application development and technology entrepreneurship. - The development track will cover AI-assisted design and development workflows, including building working software prototypes. - Collins will draw on his background in software engineering, web development and marketing technology. - His work includes AI-powered automation, search technologies and tools that help businesses become more visible across search engines and AI platforms. - Collins presented at the 2025 summit on AI video creation and generative AI in creative production. - Syracuse University previously featured Collins in its coverage of the 2025 event. - The summit is sponsored by Coca-Cola, Adobe, OpenAI and the Newhouse Office of Community, Culture and Engagement. - More information is available in the event listing.

Between the lines: - Syracuse University is using the summit to bridge creative AI and practical product-building skills. - Collins’ role signals growing interest in AI as a tool for both rapid prototyping and software entrepreneurship. - The emphasis on fundamentals suggests the program is positioning AI as an accelerator, not a replacement, for engineering expertise.

What’s next: - Collins will mentor student teams during the AI Creative Challenge on Saturday, Nov. 14. - Student teams will use workshop takeaways to build original AI-assisted projects. - Collins will also help evaluate the final projects alongside other industry professionals. - The summit will continue with workshops, panels and competition across both tracks during the two-day event.