PEAAII AI Symposium
On October 30, the AI Institute hosted AI for All, an event that showcased hackathon projects, student presentations, and a panel discussion on Mentoring the Next Generation.
AI Applications Hackathon
The purpose of a hackathon is to put aside distractions and get something done, something that might not otherwise be achieved because it is too ambitious or there are too many other responsibilities that take priority. Hackathons have been a way for many ideas to see the attention they might not otherwise get.
Fifteen teams submitted hackathon projects. Four teams were selected to present in front of Paul English and Provost Joseph Berger.
Student Presentations
Students from all academic disciplines were given the opportunity to present for one minute – either an abridged presentation of their AI project, connecting AI to their major, address ethical considerations and challenges, or other AI-related ideas. Watch the presentations here:
Mentoring the Next Generation: Faculty and Industry Perspectives on Democratizing AI in Education and Beyond
Our panel highlighted faculty and industry perspectives on democratizing AI in education and beyond. Audience questions were taken via QR code and aggregated using AI.
- Paul English ’87, G’89, H’19 – tech entrepreneur, co-founder, and philanthropist
- Xiaohui Liang - Associate Chair, Computer Science Department
- Rosemary Samia G'18 - Clinical Lecturer, Nursing; Director, Center for Clinical Education & Research
- Cody Turner - Postdoc, Applied Ethics Center & Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
- Tim Zeng - Associate Professor, Curriculum and Instruction Department
- Moderated by Nyingilanyeofori (“Nyingi”) Hannah Brown, PhD candidate and program coordinator for the NSF CRISES planning grant in UMass Boston’s Sustainable Solutions Lab
Prior related-events Fall '23 - Spring '24
PEAAII Launch Symposium, October 2023
“Succeeding in an AI-Powered World,” which featured a panel with Paul English, Wei Ding, Nir Eisikovits, Ramesh Raskar of the MIT Media Lab, and John Werner of Link Ventures. The panel was followed by a robust Q&A.
Applied Ethics Center Conference on AI and Work, November 2023
Through Nir Eisikowits, PEAAII has established an ongoing linkage with UMass Boston’s Applied Ethics Center. This fall, the center presented a major conference titled, “AI and the Future of Work,” hosted at UMass Boston. The Center also held a series of workshops on AI at the UMass Club for Boston youth, at which Wei Ding served as a speaker.
TEDxBoston at UMass Boston, January 2024
John Werner, organizer of TEDxBoston, hosted the TEDxBoston Nonprofit Leaders conference at UMass Boston on January 8. The event included a Q&A between Paul English and Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco on “cultivating kinder, gentler, more democratic AI.” The talks drew a large in-person audience and have collectively been viewed more than 12,000 times online.
Fireside Chat on AI with the Attorney General, April 2024
On April 16, the Applied Ethics Center hosted Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell for a conversation on AI and consumer/civil rights. The Chancellor spoke extensively about PEAAII in his introduction.
UMass system-wide forum on AI, April 2024
On April 11, PEAAII was featured at the UMass system’s forum on AI. Rajani Srikanth highlighted PEAAII during UMass Boston’s Campus Presentation. Professor Wei Ding was a featured presenter on the panel “Impact of AI in Research,” and Professor Nir Eisikovits presented on the panel “Equity and Ethics in AI Applications.”
University Conference on Teaching, Learning, and Technology, May 2024
The May 9 University Conference on Teaching, Learning and Technology, titled “The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown of AI,” included a panel of PEAAII Student Advisory Council members, as well as a discussion between faculty and librarians about the use of AI with students.
Past Events Fall 2024
A conversation with Paul English
September 11, 11:00 AM–Noon, Web Lab (M-3-731) and [Zoom].
Refreshments will be provided.
Amanda Potasznik’s Talk on Ethics in AI
September 20, 11:00 AM–Noon, Zoom (Zoom ID TBD).