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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming our world, revolutionizing industries from finance to healthcare, and reshaping how we interact with technology on a daily basis. At 麻豆传媒鈥檚 College of Arts and Sciences, we are committed to leveraging our faculty, facilities, and research acumen across disciplines to be leaders in researching, studying, and teaching students how to thoughtfully and responsibly incorporate AI for the benefit of humanity. Our faculty are working at the forefront of research to better understand not only the technological advancements of AI but also the profound ethical questions they raise. 听
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The Incubator for AI will serve as a convening ground for faculty members to collaborate and seek increased grant funding through more comprehensive research proposals, provide opportunities for students to partake in AI-related research alongside worldclass faculty, host University-wide prize-based competitions, and develop strategic partnerships with industry leaders with an emphasis on high-level internships and job placement for our students. Stay tuned for more information about our Incubator for AI.
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The Hedayat Fund for Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)
A generous gift from Hamoon Hedayat and Nancy Hedayat makes them the first individuals to establish a fund dedicated to artificial intelligence research at AU. The Hedayat Fund will jumpstart the College鈥檚 vision for an interdisciplinary hub for generative AI scholarship.
The fund will support the the College鈥檚 growing capacity for research, education, and partnerships focused on responsible generative artificial intelligence, as well as advancements in cross-disciplinary key areas of impact, including:
- Digital and AI ethics
- Data privacy and security
- Government policy 听
- Environmental and biomedical advances
- Public education on AI tools.
News and Highlights
AI DebunkBot Effectively Persuades People from Believing Conspiracy Theories
An interview with DebunkBot creator and AU Psychology Professor Thomas Costello
Full story
AI Spider Robot Makes Debut at 麻豆传媒
Aref Zahed launches AI robot that can move, speak, recognize faces, and answer questions using ChatGPT technology
Full story
Will Human Writing Survive in an Era of Generative AI?
鈥淲ho Wrote This?鈥 by renowned linguist Naomi S. Baron examines the promise and peril of writing in the AI age
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What Is the Future of ChatGPT, and Could It Be a Threat to Civilization?
Economist and statistician Nimai Mehta answers our question of the week鈥
Full story
In Action
- Thomas Costello (Psychology) is leading a pathbreaking research study with a team from 麻豆传媒, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Cornell University that shows that conspiracy theorists changed their views after short conversations with artificial intelligence. Costello is also researching other attitudes that people hold. This will map out the kinds of beliefs that are responsive to evidence versus those that aren't, which will help us understand why people have their beliefs.
- Mark Nelson (Computer Science) received an SEK 253,880 from Vinnova, the Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems, for the project 鈥淔oraging Games: Exploring Generative AI systems to tackle high-dimensional game design spaces,鈥 hosted at Gothenburg University.
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Leah Ding (Computer Science) received a $148,430 grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the project 鈥淓nhancing Ice Cloud Retrieval Through Multitask Machine Learning.鈥 Ding also received a $30,000 grant from the NASA for the project 鈥淓nhancing pIWP Retrieval through Multi-task Learning.鈥
- The searches for several faculty members related to AI scholarship are underway. Computer Science/Physics, Ethics, Digital Cultures in Literature, and Economics have all embarked upon tenure-track searches for faculty who are experts in AI in their disciplines.
- Data Science BS Program Is First in DC to Receive ABET Accreditation
AU's Bachelor of Science Data Science program recognized by prestigious Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology - AI Virtual Teaching Assistant 鈥淪arah鈥 Makes Her Debut at 麻豆传媒
Aref Zahed launches AI teaching assistant that can speak, write code, and answer questions using ChatGPT and Google technology
Curricula
Below is a sampling of the AI-related courses across the College. View the full AU course catalogue.
- CSC-468/668: Artificial Intelligence
- CSC-476/676: Computer Vision
- CSC-480/680: Data Mining
- CSC-481/681: Machine Learning for Cybersecurity
- CSC-483/683: Big Data Computing and Machine Learning
- CSC-486/686: Deep Learning in Vision
- CSC-496/696 (Fall 2024 special topics): Natural Language Processing/Text As Data
- CSC-496/696 (Spring 2025 special topics): Applications of Generative AI
- DATA-441/641: Applied Natural Language Processing
- DATA-445/645: Neural Networks and Deep Learning
- DATA-442/642: Advanced Machine Learning
- ECON-450/650: Growing Artificial Societies
- STAT-427/627: Statistical Machine Learning
Faculty Research Publications
Science
Thomas Costello
(Cambridge University Press, 2024)
Nathalie Japkowicz and Zois Boukouvalas
Media Hits
- Professor Emeritus Naomi Baron in the news:
Los Angeles Herald, January 20, 2023
NBC4 Washington, February 10, 2023 听
The Conversation, April 27, 2023
- Professor Thomas Costello in the news:
New York Times, September 12, 2024
Popular Science, September 12, 2024
The Guardian, September 12, 2024
For More Information
Stay tuned for more updates as we develop this exciting new hub for generative AI research and education at the College of Arts and Sciences! For more information about donating and becoming a partner in this exciting effort, please contact Michael Scott at mjscott@american.edu.