Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing rapidly, transforming everyday life. WSU researchers systemwide are developing and using AI technologies in agriculture, health care, cybersecurity, engineering, and the sciences. AI is a priority at both the state and federal levels.
“The breadth of AI technology being implemented across disciplines at the university is expanding our knowledge of AI’s usage and its potential to transform entire industries,” said WSU President Kirk Schulz. “Artificial intelligence is here to stay, and WSU researchers are taking advantage of its capabilities.”
In January, Gov. Jay Inslee signed an executive order to develop guidelines for generative AI in state systems and partnerships with research institutions like WSU to develop further innovations.
At the national level, Congress and the president have also signaled the importance of new developments in AI. Congress passed the National AI Initiative Act of 2020, directing agencies to develop a roadmap for a National AI Research Resource. This was followed in 2023 by an executive order directing privacy, safety, and other standards around AI technologies.
Supporting AI research at WSU
Under the leadership of the Office of the Provost, a systemwide working group has been established to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy and academic policy recommendations. The new guidance represents a significant step by WSU to reorient itself within the emerging AI-landscape. Kim Christen, associate vice president for research advancement in the Office of Research, is part of the new working group. As a result, the Office of Research has created a secondary working group focused on advancing AI research initiatives at WSU.
The Office of Research gathered researchers across the system to be part of the Advancing AI Research Working Group to define the current and emerging strengths in AI research at WSU. Led by Assefaw Gebremedhin, associate professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the working group will convene meetings, symposia, and other forums to engage faculty across disciplines to understand the breadth and depth of research areas. The group will also draft a roadmap for enhancing and building AI research at WSU in key growth areas with the potential for far researching benefits and impacts.
“Innovation in AI is happening at a rapid pace. The Office of Research is committed to supporting AI research through the establishment of a working group to nurture existing collaborations and forge new partnerships in the Pacific Northwest and beyond to advance AI in its use to address grand societal challenges,” said Michael Wolcott, Regents Professor and interim vice president for research at WSU.
AI leads to innovations in health and wellness
Breakthroughs in AI research are leading to medical and health discoveries. Solmaz Amiri, assistant professor in the Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, has conducted a study using machine learning to determine the impacts of social factors on age of diagnosis and rate of hospitalization in Alzheimer’s disease in historically underserved populations. This research may inform policy efforts to improve outcomes in persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias regardless of background.
WSU nurse scientists Shelly Fritz, Catherine Van Son, Connie Nguyen-Truong, Marian Wilson, and Julie Postma are developing new technologies that fill innovation gaps in chronic disease management through the newly established NTECH lab. Their research draws on the team’s combined knowledge in fields such as smart home technologies, mobile health app development, chronic pain management, gerontology, and adoption of health technology in underrepresented communities.
“So far, the inclusion of nursing knowledge and expertise has been sparse when we think about the development and implementation of AI for delivering healthcare – yet our disciplinary knowledge and skills are critical to improving patient outcomes,” said Shelly Fritz, associate professor and Ph.D. program director in the College of Nursing. “The NTECH lab supports nursing innovation, testing of health technology and products featuring AI, and conducting tech-enabled research while preparing nurse scientists for employment in the health tech industry by cross-training them in computer and data science.”
Research for a better tomorrow
WSU scientists are also researching how AI and machine learning can drive innovations focused on climate change, clean energy, smart grid, and high-performance computing.
In a study conducted by researchers in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the researchers used machine learning algorithms to manage the power usage of a 64-core computer processor. They achieved an energy use reduction of up to 60% without affecting computing performance. This approach could be used in multi-core processors used in large servers around the world, which collectively consume huge amounts of energy.
In another work, Jana Doppa, Huie-Rogers Endowed Chair Associate Professor of Computer Science, and researchers from the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science have developed methods for real-time data-driven decision-making using complex sensor data. Doppa and colleagues introduced a security layer to their machine learning algorithm that identifies and corrects for data disturbances in wearable health monitoring devices. They were able to achieve an accuracy increase of 50% compared to standard algorithms.
“WSU work in AI and machine learning helps to make better use of data to analyze, predict, and provide decision-making tools for the many complex problems that affect our lives daily in areas such as health, our environment, and energy usage,” said Partha Pande, interim dean of the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture. “Our AI innovations promise to help us simply be better problem solvers for the significant global challenges in the years ahead.”
Teaching and learning for a better tomorrow
Educators are introducing the integration of AI tools and theories into their teaching to prepare future generations of the workforce.
The Carson College of Business convened a task force to develop ways to integrate generative AI into existing programs and create policy. In spring 2024, the college offered “Emerging Technologies: Generative AI & Business,” a new course designed to explore the rapidly growing field of generative AI in business environments. The curriculum explores the practical application of AI tools, understanding their current and future limitations, and ethical considerations in their deployment and use. In another example, senior-level students in “Marketing Management” use generative AI to develop marketing campaigns and are allowed to use ChatGPT—within guidelines—on assignments to access information, clarify concepts, and bolster arguments.
“When we embrace the potential of the broad field of AI to create value and transform work—while also addressing ethical concerns—we allow our students to excel in an AI-driven future,” said Debbie Compeau, the college’s interim dean.
Funded by the Department of Defense, WSU is also home to the VICEROY Northwest Institute for Cybersecurity Education and Research (CySER), which was established to train the next generation of military and national defense-aligned civilian workforce in cybersecurity. Students receive training that integrates cybersecurity research and education with professional skills in teamwork, communication, leadership, and lifelong learning. AI is a key focus area in CySER endeavors, forming the core of a relationship that runs in both directions, namely, using AI for creating cybersecurity solutions and ensuring the security of AI systems.
Food for tomorrow
In 2021, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture–National Institute of Food and Agriculture established the USDA-NIFA Institute for Agricultural AI for Transforming Workforce and Decision Support—or AgAID Institute—at WSU. Led by Ananth Kalyanaraman, director and lead PI for AgAID, the institute is designed to build and foster partnerships between AI and Ag communities and create a transdisciplinary ecosystem for technology innovation and knowledge transfer to produce sustained agricultural productivity to meet future food demands. The AgAID Institute is a multi-disciplinary, collaborative effort involving faculty and scientists with expertise on a diverse range of areas in computer science, agriculture, and agricultural outreach to develop AI solutions to address some of agriculture’s biggest challenges, including labor shortages, water availability, and climate change.
“Groundbreaking AI research is happening every day across the WSU system. We are excited to establish ourselves as a leader in AI research while preparing tomorrow’s workforce for the future. This work is possible thanks to individual and collaborating researchers here at WSU,” said Wolcott.
Connecting it altogether
The Advancing AI Working Group was established to build upon these and other current strengths at WSU and identify emerging areas of high priority and impact. The group held its first meeting on March 27.
With WSU since 2014, the lead of the group Gebremedhin directs the Scalable Algorithms for Data Science (SCADS) Lab, which conducts research in data science and AI, high-performance computing, cybersecurity, and applications in bio-medical informatics, public health, and energy systems. Gebremedhin currently serves as the lead PI and director of the CySER Institute and has led the effort to establish the Artificial Intelligence @ WSU web resource.