Officials tasked the GW Trustworthy AI Initiative with developing a University-wide artificial intelligence research initiative as the first major project to support the strategic framework’s research goals, according to a University release Friday.
University President Ellen Granberg charged the initiative to develop a comprehensive University-wide initiative for AI research, instructing her Senior Advisor on AI Strategy and the initiative’s director, Zoe Szajnfarber, to engage faculty and University leaders for their input, the release states. Despite its ongoing work, the release states that the strategic framework’s Interdisciplinary Research Ecosystem Working Group identified the initiative as a model for the University to follow in fostering collaboration for interdisciplinary AI research.
Officials launched the initiative two years ago to enable GW researchers to improve existing AI models, increase user trust and identify AI applications for societal benefit through research. Since its inception, the group has facilitated research on topics like AI applications in healthcare, transportation, energy and security, as well as hosted events for scholars and students interested in AI research.
The initiative’s roster of over 70 researchers include faculty and graduate students from most of the University’s schools and colleges, only lacking representation from the College of Professional Studies. The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences is predominantly represented with over 30 members, followed by the Milken Institute School of Public Health at 12.
Szajnfarber said in an email to the initiative’s members this week, obtained by The Hatchet, the group will brainstorm its approach to expand its work on collaborative trustworthy AI research to faculty outside the initiative over the summer, inviting members to participate in discussion sessions to ask questions and suggest ideas for enacting their recommendations. She said the initiative hopes to begin implementing its recommendations for how other parts of the University can support interdisciplinary AI research in the fall.
Szajnfarber said the initiative’s expanded goal is to create an environment that sparks new connections among interested researchers and fosters interdisciplinary research throughout the University, rather than funding or directing specific research projects.
“The overarching hope is that we can create the conditions to make it easier, and more fun, to go after bigger things together, and in doing so, elevate GW’s reputation in this space,” Szajnfarber said in the email.
Granberg asked Szajnfarber last December to serve as senior advisor on AI strategy and lead a mapping exercise on AI uses, opportunities and risks in University research, teaching and operations. Szajnfarber and her team invited GW community members to join the initiative’s work groups in January, collected community feedback in February and analyzed the input in March.
Granberg said at a Faculty Senate meeting in April the mapping exercise is “nearing completion,” with Szajnfarber and her team planning to show their findings to the Faculty Senate in May.
She said the interdisciplinary research working group identified TAI as the “gold standard” for how the University should approach and advance interdisciplinary AI research because of its grassroots nature.
Granberg tasked the strategic framework’s interdisciplinary research working group, led by GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew and Interim Vice President for Research Robert Miller, in October with identifying components of a “thriving” interdisciplinary research environment and recommendations to support it.
“It represents a grassroots effort that has naturally drawn together faculty members from across the University around a common area of deep and impactful scholarly interest, creating a whole that is far greater than the sum of its individual contributions,” Granberg said.
Granberg said at the meeting officials will continue to assess how they can support both its future goals and the individual research interests of its faculty as GW TAI evolves with its new mandate.
“I look forward to building on these strengths in interdisciplinary together and activating our strategic framework in this exciting area,” Granberg said.