With a wide range of interdisciplinary strengths, The Ohio State University has emerged as a leader in using artificial intelligence technology to create positive, meaningful impact on people’s lives.
Here are three ways Ohio State experts are using AI to connect people, ideas and resources — and improving the way we live today.
'Democratizing' AI
Ohio State researcher DK Panda leads a team of people focused on building infrastructure to make AI more readily useful to anyone. This can range from helping farmers more accurately determine when to harvest crops to helping grocery store owners more effectively stock their shelves. “We want to create a plug-and-play AI that will be democratized so anyone can use it,” he said.
Improving telecommunications
“Edge” networks are critical to how we communicate today: They facilitate technologies such as smartphones, remote vehicles and even Zoom video conferences. Ohio State researcher Ness Shroff leads a team working on upgrading AI “edge” technology. Shroff’s work could lead to big changes. For instance, self-repairing cellular networks that are able to keep communication lines up and running during natural disasters. “We have the ability to revolutionize (AI) even further to help people in their daily lives,” he said.
Making education better
Ayanna Howard, dean of Ohio State's College of Engineering, is one of the world’s foremost roboticists and a top expert on artificial intelligence. She sees endless possibilities with the technology, down to improving the way teachers teach and children learn. “You can have a teacher in the K through 12 system say, ‘Give me a lesson plan. I want to teach something about American History.’ That power basically provides the entire knowledge base of the world at the hands of every single person on this earth,” she said.
