‘It’s not just about technology, it’s about people’: University of Nebraska set to open AI Institution

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The University of Nebraska System has formed a new task force dedicated to developing Artificial Intelligence in the state, and beyond.

The group is responsible for overseeing the implementation of a new AI Institute to be established on each of the four NU campuses.

It plans to develop the workforce and enable research, while teaching students to harness the power of AI.

Adrian Wisnicki is a UNL professor who teaches his students about the complexities of AI to better equip them to use it.

Along with his colleague, Prof. Santosh Pitla, he has been appointed a co-director of NU’s new institute.

Wisnicki referred to it as a place for true collaboration.

“What we’re interested in doing at the University of Nebraska is coordinating the response across the university system,” said Wisnicki.

“There are so many different things happening on all the different campuses of the university that we’re really interested in bringing all that work together so that it works synergistically,” he said.

Pitla made this statement, “It’s not just about technology, it’s about people, partnerships, and purpose. By connecting disciplines and communities, we can ensure AI serves as a tool for innovation, learning and public good.”

The institute will focus on human-centered AI with a global reach.

“What we’re really interested in doing is thinking about how AI is impacting society,” said Wisnicki.

“AI is obviously developing very rapidly, and people in all kinds of industries, all kinds of fields are having to grapple with it on the fly, and they’re not always necessarily having really informed advice on what they should do. They don’t always have access to experts.”

Wisnicki also addressed popular AI misconceptions that this center can help combat, such as the notion that AI has consciousness.

He says it does not, and it’s up to the user to think critically before using AI.

“In popular media and social media, there is a lot of hype around AI, a lot of things are being ramped up as kind of their latest, greatest thing, but there’s not a lot of critical discussion that happens, especially in arenas beyond the academy.”

Wisnicki adds that the implementation of this center will allow for better critical thinking about the quality of information produced by AI.

The new institute will require Board of Regents approval, and that vote is expected in June of this year.