The Metro: Why Wayne State University is leaning into artificial intelligence
Wayne State officially opened an AI research center in October. As concerns about AI usage rise, head of the institute Ezemenari Obasi says AI is a solution for many problems we face today.
Artificial intelligence is already shaping daily life, whether we’re ready or not. That’s caused celebration and concern.
It’s reducing the work we do, helping us find answers more quickly, and some research suggests it has strong capabilities to diagnose illness, perhaps better than doctors.
But the rise of AI is also accompanied by pessimism and fear. Jobs could be taken and never replaced; our loneliness could worsen; and scholars say our critical thinking abilities are already degrading.
Some of these concerns are the context for opposition to data centers. Those spaces house and advance artificial intelligence, and many don’t want them in their backyards.
In Monroe and Kalamazoo Counties, there’s been pushback, which has might permanently delay the creation of data centers there. In Saline, many are unhappy about a center planned for the area.
All of this is happening after Wayne State officially opened its own AI research center in October.
Ezemenari Obasi is the Vice President for Research & Innovation at Wayne State University and heads the university’s Institute for AI and Data Science.
The Metro‘s Sam Corey spoke with him about why he believes AI can help us solve some of our biggest problems.
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