University of Arizona's AI summer internship continues into the school year

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — The University of Arizona is getting ready for the future of technology through its new AI Core and Design Lab program, which started as a summer internship and will now continue into the academic year as a 392 and 492 level course.

The AI Core and Design Lab is an experiential learning initiative designed to mirror the processes found in high-tech environments.

"The technology is transforming the nature of work and will do so very rapidly," said Ash Black, the Director of AI and Industry. "Rather than being reactive to that, I think it’s important that we seize the opportunity to understand the technology on our own terms and to put it to use and build a society with it."

The summer program involved 60 students who worked on developing AI applications to solve real-world problems. One of the students, Jackson Grove, shared his experience, saying,

"Playing with the question of what if you had multiple instances of ChatGPT and what if you can have them talk to each other and almost work together like I guess humans would work and like a workplace...you’re able to, I guess, create really great AI products from it."

As the program continues into the school year, about 12 students will further develop applications aimed at addressing practical challenges, contributing to the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence.