University of Washington Launches $10M AI Initiative to Transform Higher Education

University of Washington lands $10M from billionaire Charles Simonyi to tackle AI in the classroom

The University of Washington today announced a $10 million gift from Microsoft pioneer Charles Simonyi and his wife, Lisa Simonyi, to launch AI@UW, a campus-wide initiative supporting the university's leadership in the responsible, effective use of artificial intelligence in the classroom and research. The initiative creates a new Vice Provost for Artificial Intelligence position, with Professor Noah Smith of the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering serving in the inaugural role. Smith said there's a huge amount of expertise around smart AI adoption at the UW, "and what I really want to do is connect all of that, bring it together, map out what people already know and are doing, cast the light on it so we can all learn from each other more effectively and accelerate it." Professors are eager -- perhaps even desperate -- for support navigating AI's role in education. "If you ask faculty what's the one question on their minds right now, it's: 'My students are using AI. What now? What am I supposed to do? How do we respond to this?'" Smith said. The UW's response is setting a path where AI assists students by answering questions or prepping study tools, but doesn't do the work for them. On the faculty side, it can aid in creating fair and useful tests and evaluations. Smith is advocating for conversations and transparency in helping students find the balance where AI complements their academic journey, but doesn't replace their education. "You don't go to university," he said, "if you don't actually want to learn." A key component of AI@UW is its grant program -- SEED-AI, which stands for Supporting Educational Excellence and Discovery. The grants will provide funding to faculty across the university who have innovative, exploratory approaches for using AI in their courses that could be widely adopted. The call for grant proposals should go out in the next few weeks. Smith highlighted three additional focus areas: * Governance and policy: Creating a governance committee that establishes infrastructure for setting AI use policies that facilitate innovation in the classroom. * AI literacy courses: Developing courses for all undergraduates addressing AI literacy from different disciplinary perspectives so students "have an understanding of AI that is not grounded in fear or grounded in fantasy and hype," Smith said. * Expert network: Forming a network of AI experts within the UW who can assist faculty working on research and education projects and need a customized AI tool. UW President Robert Jones said the initiative and new vice provost role will help the university maintain its "strategic advantage" as a leader in AI. "We need somebody that wakes up each and every day that thinks about AI across the three parts of our mission: our teaching, our research and our innovation agenda," Jones said in a GeekWire interview. "So that's the value proposition." Including the donation announced today, Charles and Lisa Simonyi have given more than $27.5 million to the UW since 2009, supporting DIRAC (Data Intensive Research in Astrophysics & Cosmology), the Ana Mari Cauce Welcome Center and the Allen School building. Charles Simonyi, who has a net worth north of $8 billion, was a groundbreaking software architect at Microsoft and remains a technical fellow with the Redmond, Wash.-based company, while Lisa Simonyi is chair of the UW Foundation Board. The new gift also establishes the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Endowed Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies, with Smith selected as the inaugural recipient. And in addition to his role at the Allen School, Smith is also affiliated with the Department of Linguistics, the Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences, the eScience Institute, and the Stroum Center for Jewish Studies, providing useful experience in working across disciplines. Smith is reaching out to other institutions who are likewise pioneering programs to employ AI on campus to learn about their efforts, but added that the UW has an advantage with the new funding. "The Simonyi gift," he said, "is going to set us ahead."

UW joins 'first wave' of colleges focused on AI

The University of Washington unveiled its new initiative Tuesday to spearhead the college's approach to AI. The initiative, AI@UW, was made possible in part through a $10 million donation by Charles and Lisa Simonyi, a husband-wife pair of philanthropists, according to a news release shared with The Seattle Times. Charles Simonyi is a software architect based in Medina, King County, who pioneered integral Microsoft software like Excel and Word. "It is a foundational investment that will help ensure artificial intelligence is developed and applied responsibly -- serving humanity and advancing knowledge in ways that reflect our shared values," said university president Robert J. Jones in a statement. Noah Smith, the university's Amazon professor of machine learning, will lead the initiative as the vice provost for artificial intelligence. "I want (UW) to be a model for how universities can responsibly and creatively adapt to this new AI age that we're in," he said Monday in a phone interview. Smith said a centralized initiative like AI@UW is key. The University of Washington is joining the "first wave" of academic institutions focused on AI, which include Brown University and Arizona State University, Smith said. Soon, he aims to create a SEED-AI grant program, which will fund projects tied to AI usage in learning and teaching across disciplines. He also wants to integrate AI literacy into the curriculum. Smith envisions coursework starting with undergraduates that explains what AI is and what to consider when making decisions around AI development and use. He depicts that idea as a long-term project. The Charles and Lisa Simonyi Launch Fund for Artificial Intelligence will also establish an AI governance committee, along with scholarships for students and investments in computing resources and equipment, according to the news release. "With this generous gift from Charles and Lisa Simonyi, we will further position the UW as a model for how universities can responsibly and creatively adapt to the age of AI across education, research, administration and governance," university provost Tricia Serio said in a statement. Smith will serve as the inaugural Charles and Lisa Simonyi Endowed Chair for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies -- pending approval from the Board of Regents. Before working at UW for a decade, Smith was on the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh.