from the director
We had another remarkable year at the Frost Institute for Data Science and Computing (IDSC) in 2023, bringing on nine exciting new hires and forging deeper relationships across different schools at the University of Miami and beyond. I expect that growth to continue in 2024, but we must also use this next year to assess our progress. As scientists, we know that any breakthrough requires a period of reflection. And given the progress we’re making in generative Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML), I hope we can collectively reflect on our work to ensure it’s being done openly and responsibly.
Right now, around the world, too much of the work being done in the field of AI/ML is done in secret. Whether it’s ChatGPT or the hundreds of other AI-enabled applications that are going online each day, designers are hiding their work inside the proverbial “black box.” We don’t know what training information is being fed into their programs or what algorithms they’re using, leading to systems that are inherently biased and cloaked in mystery. That represents a significant threat to consumers, especially for applications that affect people’s medical care and communal well-being.
We at IDSC should not contribute to that problem. That’s exactly why one of our hires last year was Ching-Hua Chuan, PhD, a brilliant computer scientist who is focused on translating the obscurity of AI/ML to the general public and ensuring that we are engaged in what she calls “human-centered computing.”
But that’s not a one-person job. All of us at IDSC should be spreading this message to our colleagues, our students, and everybody across the UM campus. They all need to understand the good, the bad, and the ugly of AI/ML, and it’s our responsibility to show them the way.
We hope you join us this year as we discuss these pressing issues during our annual conferences and during our second annual IDSC Day. Until then, we look forward to working with each of you as we continue working toward a brighter, smarter, and more equitable future.
Thank you!
Nick Tsinoremas, PhD
idsc founding director | vice provost for research computing and data
Pictured above: Dr. Tsinoremas at the inaugural IDSC Day chatting with Provost Prado.
