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February 20, 2024

UW-Madison’s Big Bet on AI

City Cast Madison

UW-Madison’s Big Bet on AI

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As one of the leading research universities in the country, UW-Madison marshals more than a billion dollars in research money annually. And the way Provost Charles Isbell sees it, the university’s scale and its public service mission makes it the perfect place to be at the forefront of the country’s artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, where computer systems are emulating human cognition. He’s UW-Madison’s new provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs and one of the most powerful people on campus. And he’s got a bold vision to hire 50 new researchers to study AI’s transformative impacts on all aspects of our society. Dylan Brogan caught up with Isbell to learn his hopes and fears about this rapidly evolving technology.

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