The center will work on projects that include revolutionizing energy systems, climate resilience, transforming mobility and engineering for all
By JORDAN POLTORAK — campus@theaggie.org
The UC Davis College of Engineering has opened a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center that will focus on 10 key areas, from the foundations of AI to transformative applications that align with the college’s strategic research vision. These include: revolutionizing energy systems, strengthening climate resilience, transforming mobility, advancing human health and engineering for all while keeping in mind underserved and vulnerable populations. In addition, the center will be a hub for advancing AI and society including developing ethical and equitable AI as well as entrepreneurial ventures.
Dean of the College of Engineering Richard Corsi gave an overview of the center’s goals.
“We are focused on how we [can] actually make AI better,” Corsi said. “This is what we call artificial intelligence foundations. The analogy I like to give is a race car. Most people who get into the race car and drive it, don’t really understand the engine. Our focus is understanding the engine, tuning the engine to reduce biases and making AI more explainable to people.”
Associate Dean of Research for the College of Engineering Raissa D’Souza and Professor of Computer Science and Bucher Family Chair Dipak Ghosal are co-directors of the center. In addition, an advisory board of faculty members from eight of the academic departments in the college will oversee the growth of the center.
Corsi spoke on the relationship between AI and academia.
“Universities are trying to come to grips with what is allowable,” Corsi said. “The genie is out of the bottle, so how can we find ways for students to use AI in a manner that is ethical? The big concern is that you don’t want AI to do your thinking for you.”
D’Souza expanded on the complexity of incorporating AI into society.
“If we bring in AI without being mindful of all the systems with which we live, then we will be suprised by the outcome,” D’Souza said. “We really need to think about how to integrate AI from all perspectives.”
The center will also collaborate with other units on campus such as the new Center for AI and Experimental Futures in the College of Letters and Science, DataLab, Grand Challenges and the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems.
In spring quarter of 2025, the College of Engineering will offer a new course titled “Artificial Intelligence for All” — ECS 011 — that will be open to all majors, according to Corsi.
“[The course] will be based on the broad concepts of AI and the language of AI in order to make them accessible to everyone on campus,” Corsi said.
In addition to fostering research, the center will serve as “a series of forums on broad ranging issues that bring faculty, students and staff from across the campus together with policy makers and industry partners so that we can develop frameworks for AI ethics, AI regulation and AI pedagogy,” D’Souza said. “We want to leverage AI for the betterment of humanity and the planet, while also encouraging ethical entrepreneurship.”
The first forum will feature Microsoft’s Chief Scientist, Eric Horvitzis, as its speaker and is set to occur in January 2025. Those who wish to learn more about the center and their goals can visit the College of Engineering’s website.
Written by: Jordan Poltorak — campus@theaggie.org
