Reflecting on Metamorphosis: I&ITS at the IT@UofT Conference 2025

Earlier this month, several members of the Information & Instructional Technology Services (I&ITS) team had the opportunity to attend the IT@UofT Conference, held at U of T’s St. George Campus on May 6–7 under this year’s theme: Metamorphosis: Transforming Tomorrow. Hosted by Information Technology Services, this annual event brought together over 800 IT professionals, communicators, and faculty members from across the tri-campus to exchange ideas, explore emerging technologies, and connect in person. 

From inspiring panels to deep dives into AI, our team returned with insights, connections, and a shared sense of momentum. 

Amplifying Voices: Women in Tech Panel 

One of the standout sessions was The Power of Inclusion: Amplifying Women’s Voices in Tech, featuring our own Ammena Ajaz, Business Analyst. Joined by panelists from UTSC and St. George, this session explored mentorship, advocacy, and the importance of diverse perspectives in shaping the future of IT. Ammena noted the importance of building inclusive spaces through mentorship and advocacy. 

Mentorship and advocacy can create real pathways for women in tech—especially when diverse voices are included in design and decision-making.

Spotlight on I&ITS Speakers 

Several team members also took the stage to share their expertise: 

• Akshat Mishra, Information Security Program Manager, co-presented on Enhancing Security Visibility Across Campuses, exploring the implementation of federated SIEM systems and the benefits of a unified security strategy across U of T’s decentralized environment. 

• HY Luo and Dennis Perkovic co-led You Can Lead People to Automation and You Can Also Get People to Automate, highlighting our team’s adoption of Microsoft Power Automate. Their session focused on real-life user journeys, overcoming resistance to change, and scaling low-code solutions at UTM. 

These presentations not only showcased the innovative work happening within I&ITS but also sparked conversations with colleagues from across campuses facing similar challenges. A big thank you and congratulations to our team members who presented—your leadership, expertise, and willingness to share your knowledge continue to raise the profile of I&ITS and demonstrate the strength of our community. 

AI: Opportunity, Risk, and Creativity 

AI was a major theme at the conference, with packed sessions exploring its benefits and limitations. 

In AI in User Experience Design, speaker Amy Guo shared how AI can augment creativity during the design process—while still emphasizing the irreplaceable value of human insight. Ammena, who attended the session, shared that “it really sparked thought-provoking conversations about balancing the efficiency of AI with preserving meaningful, creative input from people.” 

Another session that drew a crowd (and even some floor seating!) was Apple’s presentation on Apple Intelligence and AI at Work. As a sponsor, Apple gave attendees a behind-the-scenes look at how their hardware supports secure, on-device machine learning. They also compared Apple Intelligence with ChatGPT and emphasized their strong privacy model—underscoring that your data stays your data. 

At U of T, Microsoft Copilot is currently the only approved AI tool for use with institutional data. Staff have access to the enterprise edition of Copilot, which is authorized for use with up to Level 3 data. While these tools are designed with security in mind, it’s important to use discretion when working with private or sensitive information.