USM hosts artificial intelligence and digital science conference Gaylord Contreras | usagoldmines.com

PORTLAND, Maine — The University of Southern Maine hosted its first-ever Artificial Intelligence and Digital Science Conference, bringing collectively educators, business leaders, and curious minds to discover the transformative energy and potential risks of artificial intelligence.

“Folks have lots of issues,” Ashanthi Maxworth, an assistant professor in electrical engineering at USM and the convention’s organizer, mentioned Friday. “College students are writing papers utilizing AI with out studying something. Ought to we simply rent ChatGPT slightly than hiring a human? Issues like that.”

Maxworth, who’s optimistic about AI’s potential, defined why she permits her college students to make use of the know-how in her lessons. 

“This can be a instrument that you should utilize while you go into the workforce,” she defined. “We can’t keep away from them utilizing it. So, use it, get a deal with on it.” 

Nevertheless, she warned it is best to belief the human mind greater than synthetic intelligence. 

“There’s a distinction between intelligence and knowledge,” she added. “AI is educated, however AI doesn’t have the knowledge—solely people do.”

Attendees shared a wide range of views, reflecting the broader societal debate over how AI ought to be built-in into training, business, and on a regular basis life.

Tom Lanigra works for a Westbrook firm that builds customized automated meeting machines. Lanigra mentioned his firm is exploring the usage of AI and attended to the convention hoping to realize perception.

“[I’m] hoping to be taught the place the know-how goes, what potential advantages there are for business—particularly for us,” Lanigra mentioned. “Can it assist us leverage that information base that we now have 30 years of?”

Maxworth famous that a part of the problem with AI is addressing its limitations. She cautioned that AI is “nonetheless studying,” identical to her college students. She urged contributors to assume critically about how a lot to depend on the know-how, particularly as its purposes develop into delicate areas like training and the workforce.