Institute for Advancing Applications of Artificial Intelligence

Accelerating AI adaptation

The Institute for Advancing Applications of Artificial Intelligence (IAAAI) has the goal of serving as a central coordinating hub for academic affairs activities that are aimed to substantially accelerate our pace of curricular and scholarly adaptation in the responsible application of artificial intelligence technologies.

Foundations and goals

Foundations

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies—and generative AI (genAI) in particular—are rapidly transforming industries and research fields, and it is imperative that institutions of higher education match the pace of this transformation in their curricular and scholarly planning. This is an essential adaptation that enables our graduates to fully realize the benefits of their postsecondary education:

• AI technologies are transforming the job market by creating new roles and requiring existing professions to adapt, so we must equip our graduates with the AI skills and knowledge they need to succeed in this evolving landscape and contribute to the ethical development and deployment of AI to societal benefit.
• Similarly, the integration of AI in research activities is essential in remaining at the forefront of the frontiers of knowledge across all disciplines.

Ultimately, institutions of higher education that invest in AI education and research will be better positioned to attract and serve students, gain extramural funding, build industry partnerships, and successfully attract faculty and staff talent.

Goals and objectives

IAAAI’s mission is to foster innovation in the responsible application of AI technologies to learning and scholarship. By strategically aligning related efforts across the institution and coordinating activities among areas in academic affairs and other divisions, we will accelerate institutional progress and maximize the impact of our collective investments. More specifically, the IAAAI will seek to:

• Coordinate, develop, and recommend actions for curricular transformation, collaborating with academic units to support and incentivize adaptations and additions that promote AI learning for students;
• Guide the development of professional development and engagement programs for faculty, staff, students, and the broader community to build AI skills and knowledge; and,
• Collaborate on promoting the formation of interdisciplinary research teams on work in the applications of AI and support the formation of project teams aligned with specific funding opportunities.

Organization and structure

The IAAAI’s organization relies on faculty leadership and broad stakeholder engagement to partner with the Office of the Provost and shape the Institute’s trajectory, direct high-impact projects, and lead task forces and working groups.

Advisory Council

Members of the advisory council will collaborate with IAAAI leadership and ground our work in diverse perspectives from across the institution, identify emerging opportunities and risks, recommend strategic priorities, advise on policies and guidelines, review and assess the progress of our work and its impact, facilitate connections with external partners, and champion our initiatives and programs across multiple communities.

Selected based on nominations from our academic deans and Faculty Senate, our advisory council members will help inform the IAAAI’s work through a wide breadth of perspectives, disciplinary lenses, institutional roles, and locations.