The University of Georgia is collaborating with the NextGenAI consortium, a coalition alongside 14 other prominent research institutions and technology entity OpenAI to expedite AI research and education.

OpenAI, recognized for its generative AI innovations such as ChatGPT, is pledging $50 million in research funding, access to OpenAI’s resources, and computational financial support through the consortium. This initiative will foster the exploration and creation of new uses for AI and offer students practical experience engaging with the technology.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with such an esteemed assembly of institutions in this crucial mission to advance the boundaries of AI and data science,” stated Jeanette Taylor, vice provost for academic affairs and chair of the university’s Leadership Council on Artificial Intelligence. “This alliance will enhance UGA’s endeavors to deploy these innovative technologies to tackle the world’s significant challenges.”

Joining UGA as founding members of the consortium are private entities Caltech, Duke University, Harvard University, Howard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, alongside public entities like the California State University system, the University of Michigan, the University of Mississippi, The Ohio State University, and Texas A&M University. Additional collaborators include the University of Oxford, Sciences Po, Boston Children’s Hospital, the Boston Public Library, and OpenAI.

Involvement in the NextGenAI consortium will strengthen UGA’s enduring dedication to interdisciplinary AI and data science research and education. Faculty members at UGA began investigating the field of AI over 40 years ago, and currently, the university’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence acts as a center for integrated AI and data science research and academic pathways. Supported by the Office of the Provost and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, IAI comprises faculty from nearly every discipline on campus, including computer science, philosophy, linguistics, psychology, engineering, business, forestry, and many other domains.

UGA researchers are utilizing AI to devise solutions for a diverse array of challenges. Among numerous other initiatives, faculty are examining potential cybersecurity vulnerabilities confronting Georgia’s county administrations, creating large language models for telemedicine, and investigating what motivates students’ engagement and curiosity while studying science.

Last autumn, UGA secured an independent five-year, $10 million grant from the Institute of Education Sciences to establish a research and development center that will provide national leadership on optimal practices for employing generative AI in educational settings.

The university’s strategic commitments in AI and data science encompass the Presidential Interdisciplinary Faculty Hiring Initiative in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence that commenced in 2021. Through this initiative, UGA has attracted 70 faculty members proficient in leveraging data science and artificial intelligence to confront challenges affecting local communities, the state, and the globe.

“The domain of AI would not be where it stands today without decades of effort in the academic sector,” Brad Lightcap, OpenAI chief operating officer, commented in a statement publicizing the consortium. “NextGenAI will expedite research advancement and spur a new generation of institutions ready to tap into the transformative potential of AI.”

The post UGA joins NextGenAI consortium to boost AI innovation, education appeared first on UGA Today.