University of Maryland launches interdisciplinary institute on artificial intelligence

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (7News) — The University of Maryland is launching a new institute focused on Artificial Intelligence (AI). 7News Lindsey Mastis met with UMD President Darryll Pines for more insight on how the program is coming together.

“My background is in aerospace engineering. And I have already used the technology. So I knew its potential,” said Pines.

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In the world of AI the words ethics, equity, and responsibility get used a lot. At UMD, they’re practically written in stone as the university prepares to launch its Artificial Intelligence Interdisciplinary Institute.

There is a potential for innovation, but AI also has the potential to cause harm.

“Already, we’ve seen errors in the use of image processing software for different demographic groups. For example, often it misreads people of color because it hasn’t been trained on that many different types of people of color,” Pines said.

He said in the future, every UMD student will be required to take an AI course, and he hopes that it will have a ripple effect on society.

“We hope that we will give them the tools, the skills, to really solve problems, but also be very responsible citizens. Because our goal is to use AI for the public good,” he said.

And the focus isn’t just on science.

“Maybe you have a background that’s stronger in, say, English literature, or in history, or you’re interested in art. And there are all sorts of ways that AI interacts with those disciplines,” said Tom Goldstein, Director of UMD’s Center for Machine Learning.

And local outreach to the community is also being prioritized. Sheena Erete will be the institute’s new Associate Director of Research.