Artificial intelligence is already having a major impact on academic research, discovery and innovation. On May 15, a group of the world’s leading AI experts gathered at Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus to address the enormous potential—and possible pitfalls—that AI and data science pose to higher education.
The Johns Hopkins University AI-X Foundry Symposium on AI and Data Science Challenges and Opportunities in Academia will bring together approximately 400 JHU faculty, students and staff to bring together AI experts from Johns Hopkins University, other universities and industry. gathered.
“The opportunities for promoting human prosperity presented by this research and its myriad applications are immense, but so are the risks,” said JHU President Ronald Daniels in his opening remarks. He pointed out that we are at a critical juncture in the development of AI, and we need to decide what role universities should play in the future of AI. “This is an opportunity for all of us to participate in this important dialogue, and I am convinced.”
The symposium was moderated by KT Ramesh, Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins University AI-X Foundry and Senior Advisor to the President on AI. Speakers covered a variety of topics related to AI and data science, including improving disease diagnosis and treatment, democratizing access to information, and accelerating scientific discovery across disciplines. Speakers also discussed challenges in adapting to new AI systems, such as the spread of disinformation and economic disruption.
Image Caption: President Daniels delivers opening remarks
image credit: Will Kirk / Johns Hopkins University
Among the presenters was Andrew Moore, former vice president of Google Cloud AI, who highlighted the leadership role he believes Johns Hopkins University can play in the future of AI. Noting the university’s culture of collaboration and its breadth and depth of cross-disciplinary expertise, he said, “Johns Hopkins is the perfect place to do this valuable work in AI.”
Speaker Dana Peer, director of the Computational & Systems Biology Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, will use AI to understand human biology from the molecular level down to the tissues and organs, identifying new treatments for cancer and better predicting patients. result.
“What I really want to do is use AI to find more medications to help more people,” she said, adding that AI is very good at identifying patterns. He pointed out that they may be superior to humans in their ability to identify cancerous tissue.
Jimmy Lin, Professor of Software Systems and Dean of the University of Waterloo David R. ‘s biggest challenge is the economic turmoil.” First temporary unemployment. But AI will also create many new jobs and job opportunities, he explained. “You have to consider that the invention of spreadsheets has reduced the employment rate of bookkeepers, but also increased the number of auditors, accountants, etc. AI is no different,” he said.
Other key experts presenting include Thomas Dieterich, emeritus professor of electrical engineering and computer science at Oregon State University. Oren Etzioni, Founding CEO of Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Henry Kautz, professor emeritus of computer science at the University of Rochester.
Experts from Johns Hopkins University were among the invited speakers, and a panel discussion moderated by Alexis Battle, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Deputy Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins AI-X Foundry. During the session, panel members addressed various issues related to the opportunities and risks posed by AI and answered questions from the audience. A recurring theme was the need for foundational statistics, probability, and design thinking to interpret and make the most of AI.
Alan Yuil, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Cognitive Science, spoke about the need to improve pre-deployment testing of AI.
“We should do more to find faults in AI, to find faults in AI,” he said.
Other JHU panelists included Rama Cherappa, Distinguished Professor of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Biomedical Engineering at Bloomberg and Principal Investigator of the Institute for Autonomy and Autonomy Assurance. Elana Fertig is Professor of Oncology and Director of the Quantitative Sciences Department of Oncology. Elizabeth Stewart, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor of Health.
According to Ramesh, the issues raised at the symposium are exactly the kinds of challenges AI-X Foundry was founded to address.
“Now, and for years to come, AI-X’s mission, where humans and AI learn from each other to improve all things, as emphasized in President Daniels’ Ten for One plan, is the goal of Johns Hopkins. This plan will prioritize the following:” Our role as a leader in AI and data science will extend the impact of our discoveries on the world. to do,” said Ramesh. “AI is driving a revolution in how research is conducted, how we teach and learn, and our ability to make a difference.”
Symposium organizers included Alexis Battle, Rama Chellappa, Mark Dredze, KT Ramesh, Alex Szalay and Alan Yuille.
Members of the Johns Hopkins University community who are interested in participating in AI-X Foundry and wanting to learn more, please email ai@jhu.edu.
