UMD’s Smith School of Business launches Center for Artificial Intelligence in Business

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The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business has launched the Center for Artificial Intelligence in Business to conduct research and outreach in order to realize the potential of AI through intentional design and governance frameworks centering on human judgment and creativity.

The center will work in conjunction with the university’s newly announced Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute at Maryland (AIM). It will tap into the school’s research and significant faculty expertise in artificial intelligence, analytics and data science, which is distributed across multiple departments and centers of excellence.

Leading the center is inaugural director Balaji Padmanabhan, Dean’s Professor of Decision, Operations & Information Technologies, aided by both an industry advisory board and faculty advisory board. The center was launched with seed funding from GRF CPAs and advisers.

Addressing issues concerning ethics, bias and responsible use while helping businesses create short and long-term value will be central to the center’s mission. In addition to intentional AI-enabled design and governance, the research conducted by the center will focus on developing AI algorithms to address problems faced by business, and to help businesses establish AI systems that respect the rule of law, follow ethical guidelines, and operate within established regulatory boundaries.

The Smith School’s strategic focus on the transformative impact of AI is already being seen in classrooms and beyond. Smith is actively integrating AI into what students learn and works with industry partners to ensure content is up to date and relevant.

The AI Specialization for full-time MBAs was launched in Spring 2024, making the Smith School one of the early movers in this space for students.