Emma Pereda and John Phillips were recently named first-place winners in the 2023 Eller International Ethics Case Competition in Tucson, Ariz. Clemson University was among 25 colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico participating in this year’s event.
The students, both juniors within the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business, competed as Pereda and Phillips Consulting. The mock management consulting group tackled a case outlining the benefits and challenges of ChatGPT. After extensive preparation and research, they successfully presented recommendations to a mock private equity firm about how to invest in generative artificial intelligence (AI) within the healthcare sector.
Assistant Director of Clemson’s Rutland Institute for Ethics Emily Elizabeth Castelloe accompanied and mentored Pereda and Phillips during the competition, which included hours of research, a 20-minute presentation and two rounds of questioning.
Their presentation was creative and offered innovative and profitable solutions and a practical approach to the ethical challenges presented by AI in healthcare,” said Castelloe. “I am excited to follow where their career takes them.”
As winners, Pereda and Phillips each received $500 and an all-expenses paid trip to the 2024 Global Ethics Summit in Atlanta. Second and third-place winning teams were from Concordia University and Washington University, respectively.
This year’s field of participants offered some novel recommendations on how ChatGPT could be deployed in healthcare to solve pressing problems, but also identified several ethical concerns such as data bias and potential harms,” said University Distinguished Outreach Professor and Founder of the Center for Leadership Ethics Paul Melendez. “Participants rose to the challenge and proudly represented themselves, their faculty advisors and business schools.”
Please contact William McCoy at wmccoy@clemson.edu or 864-656-6147 to learn how to get involved and support the Rutland Institute for Ethics.