Ai MagazinePub Date : 2025-07-29DOI: 10.1002/aaai.70014
Michael Wollowski
{"title":"Attracting artificial intelligence talent in the time of generative AI","authors":"Michael Wollowski","doi":"10.1002/aaai.70014","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aaai.70014","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Public statements by leading AI researchers and recognizable people in the computer world are suggesting that AI may soon replace many jobs, including software engineers. Some even state that soon, AI will be smarter than us. We believe such statements are unhelpful when it comes to attracting talent to our field. We document several such statements. We believe that the future need for AI talent is tremendous and that we should take extreme efforts to attract students to our field. We present a sample of the expected opportunities and needs. Some of these opportunities may be attractive to students who in the past may not have considered AI as a career option. We argue that even with the anticipated automation of AI work, there nevertheless will be a prodigious need for talent to develop good AI. We summarize work that argues that AI is going to be a fundamental skill and as such should be introduced to learners across many age groups and many backgrounds. We suggest that a well-reasoned statement of the anticipated needs be developed by experts in our field and communicated to future talent. We suggest that, as part of this message, pathways forward toward developing AI talent across a wide range of backgrounds be developed and communicated.</p>","PeriodicalId":7854,"journal":{"name":"Ai Magazine","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aaai.70014","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144716681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ai MagazinePub Date : 2025-07-29DOI: 10.1002/aaai.70007
Sri Yash Tadimalla, Mary Lou Maher
{"title":"AI literacy as a core component of AI education","authors":"Sri Yash Tadimalla, Mary Lou Maher","doi":"10.1002/aaai.70007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aaai.70007","url":null,"abstract":"<p>As generative artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly integrated into society and education, more institutions are implementing AI usage policies and offering introductory AI courses. These courses, however, should not replicate the technical focus typically found in introductory computer science (CS) courses like CS1 and CS2. In this paper, we use an adjustable, interdisciplinary socio-technical AI literacy framework to design and present an introductory AI literacy course. We present a refined version of this framework informed by the teaching of a 1-credit general education AI literacy course (primarily for freshmen and first-year students from various majors), a 3-credit course for CS majors at all levels, and a summer camp for high school students. Drawing from these teaching experiences and the evolving research landscape, we propose an introductory AI literacy course design framework structured around four cross-cutting pillars. These pillars encompass (1) understanding the scope and technical dimensions of AI technologies, (2) learning how to interact with (generative) AI technologies, (3) applying principles of critical, ethical, and responsible AI usage, and (4) analyzing implications of AI on society. We posit that achieving AI literacy is essential for all students, those pursuing AI-related careers, and those following other educational or professional paths. This introductory course, positioned at the beginning of a program, creates a foundation for ongoing and advanced AI education. The course design approach is presented as a series of modules and subtopics under each pillar. We emphasize the importance of thoughtful instructional design, including pedagogy, expected learning outcomes, and assessment strategies. This approach not only integrates social and technical learning but also democratizes AI education across diverse student populations and equips all learners with the socio-technical, multidisciplinary perspectives necessary to navigate and shape the ethical future of AI.</p>","PeriodicalId":7854,"journal":{"name":"Ai Magazine","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aaai.70007","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144716680","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ai MagazinePub Date : 2025-07-29DOI: 10.1002/aaai.70008
Christelle Scharff, Andreea Cotoranu, Yves Wautelet, James Brusseau
{"title":"Systematically incorporating equity into design thinking for AI education","authors":"Christelle Scharff, Andreea Cotoranu, Yves Wautelet, James Brusseau","doi":"10.1002/aaai.70008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aaai.70008","url":null,"abstract":"<p>AI-powered systems increasingly influence critical aspects of daily life, yet these systems often embed and reinforce biases, disproportionately disadvantaging marginalized communities. Addressing these challenges requires a fundamental shift in how we teach the development of these systems, ensuring that future professionals develop not only technical expertise but also are equipped with the skills needed for ethical AI design. This paper adopts a design science research (DSR) approach to develop the equity-aware design thinking for AI (EquiThink4AI) framework, a dual-component model that systematically embeds equity principles into AI education. EquiThink4AI's first component extends design thinking (DT) by incorporating principles from EquityXDesign (EXD) and liberatory design (LD), ensuring that equity concerns are proactively addressed throughout AI system development. The second component enhances the framework with pedagogical strategies, including problem-based learning (PBL), experiential learning, and interdisciplinary collaboration, fostering student engagement, real-world problem-solving, and ethical reasoning. EquityThink4AI provides educators and students with a structured methodology for teaching and applying equity-centered AI development. This study is explorative in nature, yet it presents concrete strategies for integrating EquiThink4AI into AI curricula, bridging the gap between design, AI ethics, and educational practices.</p>","PeriodicalId":7854,"journal":{"name":"Ai Magazine","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aaai.70008","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144716679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ai MagazinePub Date : 2025-07-16DOI: 10.1002/aaai.70006
Mary Lou Maher, David S. Touretzky, Michael Wollowski
{"title":"Guest Editorial: Introduction to special issue of AI magazine on AI literacy and AI education","authors":"Mary Lou Maher, David S. Touretzky, Michael Wollowski","doi":"10.1002/aaai.70006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aaai.70006","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Artificial intelligence has evolved into a readily accessible tool, increasing its impact on our daily lives, society, and the economy. This accessibility necessitates a critical reassessment of existing AI educational programs and curricula. There is a pressing need to develop strategies that increase the capacity for AI education, establish diverse pathways for individuals to enter and contribute to AI, and foster a greater awareness of the multifaceted implications of AI-driven technologies. The proliferation of AI has triggered concerns about potential consequences, including the over-reliance on AI leading to worker deskilling, the automation of various job functions, and the resulting uncertainty surrounding the future of work.</p><p>It is important to note that this special issue specifically focuses on AI education, not the application of AI in education, often referred to as “AI edtech,” where AI tools are utilized to facilitate teaching and learning across various subjects. While the latter is a rapidly evolving and significant domain, it constitutes a separate area of inquiry from the topics addressed here.</p><p>Several key factors contribute to scalable AI education in K-12. Central to success is comprehensive and ongoing teacher professional development (PD), which should include initial intensive workshops, sustained support during the school year, co-teaching with experienced instructors, and time for teachers to plan and adapt lessons. Developing teacher leaders who can provide PD and mentorship is essential for long-term sustainability and wider dissemination. A co-design process that actively involves teachers in curriculum development ensures the materials are relevant and adaptable to diverse learners and classroom environments.</p><p>Research-practitioner partnerships (RPPs) leverage expertise from both universities and educational settings, bridging content knowledge with practical realities. A diverse and inclusive approach, considering varying student demographics and learning needs, is critical for broad accessibility. Effective curriculum design that aligns with established AI frameworks, incorporates active learning strategies, and focuses on fundamental understandings is crucial. Ongoing implementation support, online resources, community building, flexibility, adaptability, and continuous evaluation and improvement all contribute to a robust and scalable AI education program in K-12.</p><p>Touretzky et al. address AI education in middle school (grades 6–8) in the “AI for Georgia” project (AI4GA.org). Capacity building in K-12 AI education requires extensive teacher support, as most K-12 teachers, including computing teachers, start with little or no AI knowledge. The paper describes a teacher professional development program that begins with instruction in the basics of AI and also brings in teachers as co-designers to help shape the curriculum and tailor it to their classrooms. With continued support, some of the","PeriodicalId":7854,"journal":{"name":"Ai Magazine","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aaai.70006","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144635094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ai MagazinePub Date : 2025-07-14DOI: 10.1002/aaai.70013
David S. Touretzky, Christina Gardner-McCune, Bryan Cox, Judith Uchidiuno, Xueru Yu, William Gelder, Tom McKlin, Taneisha Lee Brown, Bejanae Kareem, Woojin Chung, Amber Jones, Janet Kolodner
{"title":"Artificial intelligence education in Georgia middle schools","authors":"David S. Touretzky, Christina Gardner-McCune, Bryan Cox, Judith Uchidiuno, Xueru Yu, William Gelder, Tom McKlin, Taneisha Lee Brown, Bejanae Kareem, Woojin Chung, Amber Jones, Janet Kolodner","doi":"10.1002/aaai.70013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aaai.70013","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In a partnership between four universities, the Georgia Department of Education, and nine Georgia school districts, we developed a 9-week middle school elective called “Living and Working with Artificial Intelligence,” and a professional development (PD) program for prospective middle school AI teachers. To ensure that our curriculum could meet the needs of all learners, we recruited a diverse set of districts that included rural districts serving mainly White students, urban districts that were majority African American, and suburban districts serving a mix of Hispanic and African American students. Now in its fourth year, our “AI for Georgia” project (AI4GA) has provided PD to 20 teachers and AI education to over 1600 students. The AI4GA curriculum does more than foster AI literacy: It empowers students to view themselves as creators of AI-powered technology and to think about future career options that involve the use of AI. The project is now expanding to schools in Texas and Florida. In this article, we review the history of the project, discuss our co-design process with our teachers, and present results from studies of teacher PD and student learning.</p>","PeriodicalId":7854,"journal":{"name":"Ai Magazine","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aaai.70013","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144615325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ai MagazinePub Date : 2025-07-14DOI: 10.1002/aaai.70015
Erfaun Noorani, Zachary Serlin, Ben Price, Alvaro Velasquez
{"title":"From abstraction to reality: DARPA's vision for robust sim-to-real autonomy","authors":"Erfaun Noorani, Zachary Serlin, Ben Price, Alvaro Velasquez","doi":"10.1002/aaai.70015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aaai.70015","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The DARPA Transfer from Imprecise and Abstract Models to Autonomous Technologies (TIAMAT) program aims to address rapid and robust transfer of autonomy technologies across dynamic and complex environments, goals, and platforms. Existing methods for simulation-to-reality (sim-to-real) transfer often rely on high-fidelity simulations and struggle with broad adaptation, particularly in time-sensitive scenarios. Although many approaches have shown incredible performance at specific tasks, most techniques fall short when posed with unforeseen, complex, and dynamic real-world scenarios due to the inherent limitations of simulation. In contrast to current research that aims to bridge the gap between simulation environments and the real world through increasingly sophisticated simulations and a combination of methods typically assuming a small sim-to-real gap—such as domain randomization, domain adaptation, imitation learning, meta-learning, policy distillation, and dynamic optimization—TIAMAT takes a different approach by instead emphasizing transfer and adaptation of the autonomy stack directly to real-world environments by utilizing a breadth of low(er)-fidelity simulations to create broadly effective sim-to-real transfers. By abstractly learning from multiple simulation environments in reference to their shared semantics, TIAMAT's approaches aim to achieve abstract-to-real transfer for effective and rapid real-world adaptation. Furthermore, this program endeavors to improve the overall autonomy pipeline by addressing the inherent challenges in translating simulated behaviors into effective real-world performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":7854,"journal":{"name":"Ai Magazine","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aaai.70015","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144615326","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ai MagazinePub Date : 2025-07-09DOI: 10.1002/aaai.70011
Reuth Mirsky
{"title":"Artificial intelligent disobedience: Rethinking the agency of our artificial teammates","authors":"Reuth Mirsky","doi":"10.1002/aaai.70011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aaai.70011","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The impressive advancements of AI in recent years are indisputable, and AI algorithms have already reached superhuman performance in many tasks. On the other hand, in most existing work on cooperative AI, artificial agents are bound to follow the instructions they are given by their human teammates and to comply with their users' expectations. This paper advocates for expanding the agency capabilities of AI teammates, enabling them to make genuine and unique contributions in human-AI teams. It presents a scale for AI agency levels and discusses the importance and inevitability of researching AI autonomy as an independent capability in cooperative AI, using a set of representative examples. The paper then presents how intelligent disobedience of artificial agents might look at each autonomy level. Finally, it outlines some initial boundaries that should be set when researching AI agency and its disobedience capabilities.</p>","PeriodicalId":7854,"journal":{"name":"Ai Magazine","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aaai.70011","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144582283","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ai MagazinePub Date : 2025-07-09DOI: 10.1002/aaai.70012
Bo-Chiuan Su
{"title":"Navigating the new frontier: The role of AI-driven virtual influencers in consumer engagement","authors":"Bo-Chiuan Su","doi":"10.1002/aaai.70012","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aaai.70012","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This paper examines the evolving role of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven virtual influencers (VIs) in enhancing consumer engagement within the digital marketing landscape. Using qualitative case studies of notable VIs such as Lil Miquela and Ayayi, this research highlights critical factors influencing their effectiveness, including advanced technology, cultural significance, and shifts in consumer expectations. Findings indicate that VIs create authentic connections with younger demographics, particularly Millennials and Generation Z, by offering tailored content and reinforcing emotional ties. The study emphasizes the significance of authenticity and transparency for building consumer trust, alongside addressing ethical concerns such as representation and manipulation in marketing practices. It explores how VIs operate as cultural influencers, reshaping consumer identities within the digital realm. This research underscores the need for brands to adopt responsible practices that prioritize ethical engagement and inclusivity, enabling them to navigate the complexities of VI marketing while fostering meaningful consumer relationships.</p>","PeriodicalId":7854,"journal":{"name":"Ai Magazine","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aaai.70012","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144582314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ai MagazinePub Date : 2025-07-04DOI: 10.1002/aaai.70009
Steve Joordens
{"title":"When science fiction collides with reality: The future of learning and the one after that","authors":"Steve Joordens","doi":"10.1002/aaai.70009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aaai.70009","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This article provides a somewhat whimsical discussion of the impact that AI, or “robots”, will have on the future of education. Interwoven with numerous references to science fiction, and at least one to Alice Cooper, is a very serious consideration of the manner in which AI may completely redefine the way we learn and grow as humans. From Holistic Assessment of Learning (HAL) to a Yoda on Yer Shoulda, a future of life-embedding learning is described.</p>","PeriodicalId":7854,"journal":{"name":"Ai Magazine","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aaai.70009","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144551058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ai MagazinePub Date : 2025-07-04DOI: 10.1002/aaai.70010
Animesh Kumar Sharma, Rahul Sharma
{"title":"Governance in the age of artificial intelligence: A comparative analysis of policy framework in BRICS nations","authors":"Animesh Kumar Sharma, Rahul Sharma","doi":"10.1002/aaai.70010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/aaai.70010","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study investigates the dynamic landscape of governance frameworks for emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), within the context of public policy in expanded BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates). Understanding the ethical implications and crafting policy tools to guide the development and deployment of AI is crucial. Analyzing findings from AI policy initiatives, this research delves into managing new technologies, emphasizing the evolving discourse on AI ethics. It stresses the importance of embedding ethical considerations into governance frameworks to address societal concerns and foster responsible AI advancement. Additionally, strong legal frameworks are essential, striking a balance between fostering innovation and ensuring accountability, thereby enhancing confidence and transparency in AI systems. This study underscores the significance of public policy in shaping AI governance, advocating for inclusive, participatory approaches involving stakeholders from diverse sectors. Adaptive governance frameworks capable of navigating the evolving AI landscape and its societal ramifications are emphasized. A holistic governance strategy based on insights from AI policy is recommended, aiming to reconcile innovation with ethical, legal, and societal considerations. Policymakers are urged to foster stakeholder engagement, ensuring that AI advancements benefit society while upholding ethical, just, and accountable standards.</p>","PeriodicalId":7854,"journal":{"name":"Ai Magazine","volume":"46 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aaai.70010","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144551018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"计算机科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}