Integration of AI tools into your research

Linked below are organizations dedicated to the challenges of AI within research and discussion through integrity, ethics, and emerging AI tools.

Founded in 2017, the AI Now Institute produces diagnosis and policy research on artificial intelligence. They develop policy strategies to redirect away from the current trajectory: unbridled commercial surveillance, consolidation of power in very few companies, and a lack of public accountability. In the years since its founding, AI Now has set the bar for discourse-shaping work that focuses on the social consequences of AI and the industry behind it.

Partnership on AI (PAI) is a non-profit partnership of academic, civil society, industry, and media organizations creating solutions so that AI advances positive outcomes for people and society. By convening diverse, international stakeholders, they seek to pool collective wisdom to make change. We are not a trade group or advocacy organization. PAI develops tools, recommendations, and other resources by inviting voices from across the AI community and beyond to share insights that can be synthesized into actionable guidance. We then work to drive adoption in practice, inform public policy, and advance public understanding. Through dialogue, research, and education, PAI is addressing the most important and difficult questions concerning the future of AI.

The Alan Turing Institute (ATI), headquartered in the British Library, London, was created as the National Institute for Data Science in 2015. In 2017, as a result of a government recommendation, they added artificial intelligence to their remit.  ATI has three major goals:
1. Advancing world-class research and applying it to national and global challenges: innovate and develop world-class research in data science and artificial intelligence that supports next-generation theoretical developments and is applied to real-world problems, generating the creation of new businesses, services, and jobs.
2. Build skills for the future: contribute to training people across sectors and career stages with the necessary breadth and depth of technical and professional skills in data science and AI to match the UK’s growing industrial and societal needs.
3. Drive an informed public conversation: provide balance in the public conversation on data science and AI by speaking to its technical, social, and ethical dimensions through public engagement and the provision of advice to policymakers, industry, and civil society.

The mission of the AI Access and Integrity Working Group is to facilitate a campus-wide conversation focused on access equity and academic integrity. The rapid emergence of these technologies is creating opportunities and concerns that are best addressed through inclusive dialogue. The group is comprised of smaller teams of faculty, staff, and students from across campus who are examining different aspects of AI at the University: access and equity, communication, data acumen, ethical considerations, industry and workforce, integrity in education, syllabus guidance, training needs and more.

Upcoming

[If you know of upcoming workshops or training at UA, email Nicole Hennig, nhennig@arizona.edu, and I'll list them here. Thanks!]

See this event calendar for more AI-related events on campus.

Previous (many have recordings available)

May 1, 12 noon - 2 pm
School of Information presents iShowcase - interactive research and creative projects
Marriott Tucson University Park Hotel, Ballroom

Wed, April 10, 10 - 11 am
Integration of AI Tools Into Your Research
This workshop will examine AI resources for those with research focused goals to use in the beginning and middle stages of their work. 
Register for the workshop

Thursday, March 28, 10 - 11 am - Generative AI in Photoshop
By UA Adobe & Arizona (A&A) Where: CATalyst Studios

Tuesday, March 26, 5:30 to 7:30 pm - AI Core - Experiment with AI tools
Meet other AI enthusiasts and learn the latest techniques and insights from the AI Core student workforce. Open to the public and no experience with AI required. Where: CATalyst Studios | Register 

Wednesday, March 20, 12 noon - 1:30 pm - AI & Elections panel discussion - AI at Arizona Town Hall series
Join us for an insightful discussion on the intersection of artificial intelligence and elections. We'll explore AI's vital role in shaping democratic processes, focusing on civil discourse; challenges of mis- or disinformation; information literacy, education, and access; and impact on voters. AI algorithms can help detect and counter false narratives, provide fact-checking, bolster participation and accessibility, and allows us to consider issues like privacy, bias, and exclusions. With perspectives from information and political scientists, journalists, and discourse-driven experts, we invite you to engage in a lively exchange of ideas on the promises and pitfalls of AI in shaping the future of democracy.

Feb. 13, 2024 - AI Core Spring workshop. The AI Core regularly hosts free workshops that allow the public to explore the capabilities of AI tools that are in high demand in the job market, such as generative AI for marketing or navigating the GPT Store.

Workshops are designed to be hands-on and ensure that you leave with practical skills that you can apply immediately and add to your resume. Participants will experiment with various AI tools, connect with other AI enthusiasts, and learn the latest techniques and insights from our AI Core student workforce.

Meetings happen every other Tuesday from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm at the Data Studio CATalyst located to the left of the Main Library lobby.

Feb. 6, 2024 - AI in Teaching and Learning - panel discussion - AI at Arizona Town Hall series
(recording available, UA only)

Nov. 1,  Nov. 29, Dec. 5. AI at Arizona Town Hall series.
AI in Teaching and Learning, AI in Industry, Gen Z & AI debate, AI in Research

A series on several dates between Oct. 12 and Nov. 30: UArizona Data Lab: Fine Tuning A Pre-trained model
For those with a basic Python programming knowledge.

Sept. 6, 2023. AI at Arizona: What's New. (recording and slides - UA only)

August 15, 2023. ChatGPT Prompt Engineering Workshop
A free, in-person-only workshop brought to you by the UArizona Data Science Institute and CyVerse. Come to the AM Session only for the basics or stay for the PM Session to apply what you've learned to your own use case or domain!

May 31, 2023. ChatGPT Prompt Engineering - Recording available (YouTube)
This in-person workshop, attended by 74 participants, was led by instructors Tyson L. Swetnam of CyVerse, Carlos Lizárraga-Celaya, Greg T. Chism, and Heidi Steiner of UArizona's Data Science Institute, and Andrew Bennett, an incoming Assistant Professor in Hydrology and Atmospheric Sciences at UA.  Workshop materials.

May 18, 2023. AI Literacy: Using ChatGPT & Artificial Intelligence Tools in Instruction - Recording available (Vimeo)
This virtual workshop, attended by 42 members of UA Libraries staff, was led by Nicole Hennig. Learn the basics of AI literacy and why it's an important part of information literacy in the age of ChatGPT and similar tools.
Workshop materials: Learning more, teaching tips, copy of the slides. (PDF)