Since its emergence, ChatGPT and other AI-assisted tools have become nearly a staple of the educational experience, revolutionizing the ways in which people approach learning.
Here at the University of Arizona, students are already tapping into emerging technological tools to enhance campus life. Taking workforce preparation to the next level, the AI Core is a paid program offering Wildcats the opportunity to contribute to the development of artificial intelligence applications, ones specifically focused on improving services at the UA.
Through her work with the Institute for Computation and Data-Enabled Insight as program manager, Amanda Harrell provides an inside look into how the AI Core runs, speaking on their current work and ideas for the future.
“It’s a team of about ten to twelve students, predominantly undergraduate students. They have all different roles, like there is a product lead, a couple AI engineers and even an XR extended reality developer,” Harrell said. “They are innovating, trying out different tools and just experimenting as we sign on new projects.”
Many of the projects taken on by the AI Core involve the creation of virtual models and the development of digital environments that mimic various retail spaces, enhancing the original designs and vision. Specifically, their visualization tool can be used to map out product locations and predict customer interactions based on different merchandise placements, eliminating the need for a physical space to test these ideas.
“Our chat platform also makes it very inexpensive for anyone at UA to get access to the same functions as other AI tools,” said Ash Black, director of AI Industry and AI Core at the UA. “ChatGPT costs $20 to $30 a month, and we are finding that people can use our platform for somewhere around $2 or $3 a month.”
The project that had garnered the most attention, however, was their digital twin of the Lundgren Consumer Science Lab. Students working for the AI Core fully reproduced an online environment for the aforementioned space.
Harrell expanded on their next initiatives and plans moving forward. “We’re just starting on a digital twin for Biosphere 2, so the team will go scan a bunch of plants, structures and environments within Biosphere 2 to create the virtual space. That can be used for a lot of different environmental research or focusing on food sovereignty for Indigenous peoples,” Harrell said.
Additionally, the AI Core has signed a two-year contract, beginning this December, in partnership with the Pima County Visitor Center. To promote local tourism, students will be working to develop interactive platforms that can be used both at trade shows and within the visitor center itself.
Applications for new positions at the AI Core may also open on Handshake during the summer for the upcoming school year. Typically, students are recruited from existing UA courses related to artificial intelligence, educational workshops and campus hackathons.
“All it takes is curiosity,” Black said. “We like candidates who are already beginning to work with AI, but the main quality we are looking for is a certain tenacity or attitude towards technology that’s unrelenting.”
From supporting a variety of research to advancing the local tourism scene, the work of the UAZ AI Core is slowly altering Tucson and paving the way for a better campus experience.
