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Artificial Intelligence in Arts & Sciences

Faculty and students across the College of Arts & Sciences are working at the leading edge of AI, understood as a wide array of computational tools used for different purposes. They are focused on AI for tool development, application, and pedagogical innovation. The array of disciplines housed within Arts & Sciences means we can — and do — foster cross-disciplinary collaboration in AI with greater ease than might be possible elsewhere. Some undergraduate and graduate courses with AI-related content count toward the University's data science minor. 

Here is a sampling of the ways faculty and students across the College's four divisions are innovating in the use and development of AI tools.

AI across our divisions

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AI in the Arts

From scholarly research to the creation of new works, AI offers new possibilities for the arts and the creative process. 

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AI in the Humanities

AI is central to computational linguistics and textual studies, and plays a role in other humanities disciplines. 

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AI in the Social Sciences

From global health to fiscal policy to advancing social inclusion and justice, AI is a powerful tool in the social sciences, 

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AI in the Natural Sciences

Across the natural sciences, AI is changing how researchers explore the night sky, study wildlife behaviors, advance quantum science, and much more, 

College Leadership on the Possibilities of AI

Leaders in the College of Arts & Sciences share their thoughts on the role of artificial intelligence in the College today and in the future, and what's required for the healthy advancement of AI tools. 

Examples of AI Research

Learn how researchers in Arts & Sciences are studying AI and using it to improve our world.

Yi Shen in his UW office.

An Earful of AI

Hearing aid technology is improving all the time, in large part thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) incorporated into devices. Shen Yi, associate professor of speech and hearing sciences, focuses on the potential of AI to provide increasingly individualized solutions for hearing aid users.

Perspectives newsletter
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Working Toward Responsible AI

As Indeed’s head of responsible AI and senior director of data science, Trey Causey  (MA, Sociology, 2009) works to ensure that the company’s AI algorithms promote equity and fairness and prevent biases in hiring. 

Perspectives newsletter
Zaid Harchaoui with open laptop and computers on either side of him.

A Statistician Weighs in on AI

While much of the world has embraced this new era for AI, Statistics Professor Zaid Harchaoui is more circumspect. He collaborates with colleagues in statistics, mathematics, computer science, and engineering to explore what AI models do well, where they fall short, and why. 

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The Big Read: AI Unmasked

The College of Arts & Sciences and UW Linguistics Emily M. Bender presented a conversation with Joy Buolamwini, author of Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines and founder of the Algorithmic Justice League.

See the Video