IUCRC Planning Grant: Tulane: Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence (CAAI)

Tulane University, New Orleans LA

Investigators

Abstract

Rapid innovation in artificial intelligence (AI) -- in areas such as machine learning, natural language processing, vision, and autonomous decision making -- has led to growing adoption of this new technology across industries. However, the speed with which AI is evolving presents fundamental challenges in transferring new technology to industry in an effective, safe, and beneficial way. This planning grant establishes partnerships among academia, industry, and government to accelerate innovation, technology transfer, and student training in AI and its applications. During this planning phase, Tulane University will conduct a two-day workshop to engage potential partners from healthcare, energy, and software services industries. Several pilot projects will be assessed for feasibility, including: (i) privacy-preserving analysis of medical records, (ii) AI in resource-constrained settings, (iii) ethical constraints in AI-decision making, (iv) language processing in medical and legal domains, and (v) time-series prediction from multi-modal data. This synergistic industry-funded research program will conduct multidisciplinary research, education, and training program for career growth and development. Resulting technologies and training programs will support economic development and improve workforce readiness. Diversity and K-12 outreach programs will be developed to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in AI. Tulane University will maintain a project repository and website to disseminate publications, key findings, and software, consistent with data sharing agreements. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.