Image: This year marks the 40th year of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Georgia. That’s 40 years of groundbreaking innovation, research and development from areas of healthcare, agriculture, computer science, robotics and more. Believe it or not in 1984, a group of individuals from the Department of Computer Science were drawn to creating technology and innovation that traditionally required human intelligence and that’s how AI found its roots at UGA. Let’s take a moment to imagine the year 1984. The Space Shuttle Discovery made its maiden flight. MTV aired its first Video Music Awards. Macintosh launched its first computer with a Super Bowl commercial. And, UGA had the foresight to explore the potential of artificial intelligence. Today, it’s hard to envision a world without computers, smartphones and modern technology. As we look ahead, we can only imagine what the next forty years will hold for AI and its impact on our lives—how exciting! Since then, faculty, students and other individuals have contributed countless efforts to the advancement of artificial intelligence. From ChatGPT to AI certificates to increased investments into the technological field and even Fintech, UGA has gone above and beyond achieving and passing milestones. AI may have originated in computer science, but its influence spans every corner of our society. It enhances efficiency and productivity, fundamentally transforming how we work, learn and interact. No single field has required a more multidisciplinary approach than AI, blending the arts and sciences to unlock its full potential. This collaborative spirit is alive at UGA, fostering partnerships across campus to leverage diverse perspectives. Several recent events took place to celebrate the 40 years of AI at UGA including the AI inaugural seed grant program and a session titled “Reflecting on the Past, Shaping the Future – Celebrating 40 years of AI at UGA” AI Seed Grant This Fall, the Institute for AI, co-partnered by the Provost’s Office and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, launched its inaugural seed grant program. The competition took place in two rounds – round one letters of intent and round two full proposals which were reviewed by an interdisciplinary committee. This year’s inaugural SEED grant winners are: An Interdisciplinary Assessment of AI Cybersecurity Threats: Preparedness and Vulnerabilities in Georgia's County Governments - Awardees: Gregory Porumbescu (SPIA), Jason Anastasopoulous (SPIA), Elena Karahanna (MIS), Roberto Perdisci (Computing), Andrew Whitford (SPIA) Developing Multimodality Large Language Models for Telemedicine - Awardees: Tianming Liu (Computing), Juliet Sekandi (GHI-CPH), Eugene Douglass (Pharmacy) Combining AI tools with Biofeedback to Determine the Drivers of Interest and Curiosity during Science Learning - Awardees: Anna Abraham (Torrance), Xiaoming Zhai (CoEd) Advances in Multi-Modal and Explainable ML Methods for Predicting Protein Post-Translational Modifications - Awardees: Fei Dou (Computing), Natarajan Kannan (IOB), Gagan Agrawal (Computing), Ninghao Liu (Computing) Reflecting on the Past, Shaping the Future The University of Georgia and the UGA AI Institute celebrated 40 years of achievements in Artificial Intelligence at UGA. To begin the celebration, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost S. Jack Hu and Dean of Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Anna Stenport began with opening remarks congratulating the Institute for Artificial Intelligence on their current and past achievements. From there, Don Nute, founding director of the UGA AI center, gave a history lesson on AI at UGA. Nute mentioned how UGA was experimenting with artificial intelligence even before ChatGPT was released in November of 2022. He also spoke on the growth of UGA’s AI department including: $8.3. million investments into UGA’s technological platforms, new AI certificates, and opportunities for current students. Art Recesso, vice chancellor for academic innovation on the USG Board of Regents, followed by speaking on the importance of FinTech in the industry. Recesso spoke of how important data science professionals across the state of Georgia and country are. UGA faculty then gave lightning talks on how their departments use AI and technology. Faculty from art to poultry science to computing to epidemiology and even law spoke on how their students have used AI in the classroom exemplifying the importance of technology and technological advancement. After the lightning talks, breakout sessions occurred where topics of Foundations of Ai, Use-Inspired AI and AI Education were discussed. Today we stand at the brink of groundbreaking advancements in AI. Technologies like machine learning and large language models (LLMs) are already revolutionizing research worldwide—from advancing protein design and discovering new planets in deep space to generating new forms of art, music and creative activity. As AI continues to evolve, UGA has an important mission ahead: to balance its ethical and societal implications to ensure it serves humanity as a whole. What will the next forty years bring? As we delve deeper into the wonders of AI, new opportunities will arise to elevate our curiosities and ambitions. Together, UGA faculty, students and alums engaging with AI will help lead the way for the next forty years and beyond. As IAI celebrates 40 years of AI accomplishments at UGA, faculty and students are encouraged to engage in the series of planned events celebrating this milestone. To read more about UGA’s AI initiatives, please read this article posted by Georgia Magazine.
