08 Feb UW-Madison launches research initiative with plans to hire faculty focused on AI
The sun shines on Bascom Hill on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at UW-Madison in Madison, Wis. Angela Major/WPR
The University of Wisconsin-Madison plans to recruit up to 150 new faculty members over the next three to five years for a research initiative focused on artificial intelligence.
UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin announced the creation of the Wisconsin Research, Innovation and Scholarly Excellence (RISE) Initiative during the Board of Regents meeting Thursday.
The first area of focus will be artificial intelligence, Mnookin said. That will include looking at ways artificial intelligence is likely to change the way humans interact.
About 50 new faculty members will be hired to work across campus in areas of engineering, computer science, social sciences, humanities and human ecology.
“One of the first things is going to be to think about the human dimensions of AI and how we keep AI human centered,” Mnookin said while meeting with reporters before the Regents meeting. “How we try to work to make AI a force for good rather than the alternative.”