Dive Brief:
- A new AI project at Carnegie Mellon University is aiming to unite the institution's research and education on artificial intelligence in areas like robotics, engineering, language, human-computer interaction and machine learning to foster innovation.
- CMU AI hopes that by shrinking gaps between faculty, students and staff, while bringing research in a variety of STEM disciplines under its umbrella, it can create a "hive mind" environment that will benefit research as a whole.
- Over 100 professors and researchers working on artificial intelligence will be brought together by CMU AI, which is focused primarily on educating the next generation of AI researchers (currently numbering around 1,000 at the institution) and expanding AI's capabilities across multiple disciplines.
Dive Insight:
Artificial intelligence is arguably the technology poised to have the biggest impact on the world over the next few decades. Gathering the collective brain power of researchers and students working on that tech across a number of disciplines is a wise move for Carnegie Mellon, both from a prestige and funding standpoint.
On the prestige front, students engaged in artificial intelligence degree tracks will have a greater opportunity to conduct studies across disciplines, including machine learning, machine translation and human-computer interaction. This will, in turn, prepare them for a future with more flexibility when entering the workforce. It's an approach that doesn't have to be limited to AI or other STEM fields, as well. Degree programs across the board should consider how they can work with other disciplines to produce graduates capable of pivoting as needed throughout their careers, rather than equipping them with a lone set of hard skills that could be relevant for several decades or just a handful of years.
Additionally, being able to point to that sort of career preparation, as well as the expected increase in breakthroughs and innovation, will likely benefit CMU when it comes to procuring funds from policymakers and donors alike. Tangible results and the reputation gained by the institution producing them can be a particularly attractive thing for those in positions of power to have their names attached to in some way, shape or form, making them an easy sell on that front.