Siobahn Day Grady Wants Everyone to Be AI Literate
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the skills employers expect from new graduates. In response, universities are scrambling to launch new courses, research centers, and industry partnerships that prepare students for today’s workforce. But building a cutting-edge AI curriculum demands funding and access to industry networks, resources that remain unevenly distributed across higher education. At…
Siobahn Day Grady, an associate professor at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), has launched the first AI research institute at a historically Black college or university (HBCU) to address the growing need for AI literacy in today's workforce. With a $1 million grant from Google.org, the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Research (IAIER) has engaged over 2,800 students, faculty, and community members in research initiatives and training.
Unlike traditional computer science departments, IAIER aims to integrate AI education across all disciplines.
Grady, who developed an interest in AI during the internet's early days, has been at the forefront of developing AI education at HBCUs, which receive less than 1% of federal research funding despite accounting for 3% of four-year institutions in the U.S. IAIER's mission reflects a broader trend in universities to provide AI education beyond computer science and engineering.
The institute offers an introductory AI course to all freshmen, integrates AI into teaching across departments, and funds interdisciplinary research projects.
IAIER has secured support from industry partners like Deloitte, FICO, and Anthropic, and has hosted industry events to bridge the gap between academia and the fast-paced advancements in AI. With sustained momentum, IAIER aims to keep pace with rising demand for AI literacy across NCCU's campus.
Written by urgent.news from IEEE Spectrum's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
