Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal | July 22, 2024 | wbjournal.com e task force is focused on capturing the talent, whether its newly generated ideas or strategies leveraging AI from the state's research institutions, to create a place of economic growth, Larkin said. AI in the workforce As schools adjust to the changing technology, the workforce is doing the same. e Innovation Institute at MassTech has funds supporting re- search, development, and technology to enhance the deployment of AI. MassTech made a $550,000 invest- ment in UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester to develop an AI assurance lab designed to evaluate processes and impacts of health AI technology. e assurance lab "will establish stan- dards that allow the healthcare industry to deploy the best in enabling caregivers to do what they do in a better and more profound way," Larkin said. Additionally, MassTech made an investment in Northeastern University in Boston to support small and midsize enterprises to develop AI strategies. Having knowledge of AI will create a dual competency for any field, allowing people to be more successful, Larkin said. AI has already changed the way people work, as technologists, scien- tists, and engineers use AI to advance their work and build technologies, Rundensteiner said. "eir jobs are going to be exciting," she said. Changing how college students learn In addition to new degrees, AI is transforming how colleges and universities are structuring their classes and how students are learning across all academic disciplines, Larkin said. "AI is going to change the face of education, in terms of the impact it's going to have on research and discovery, on teaching pedagogy and individual support for students," he said. At WPI, while students are allowed to use the technology, Rundensteiner said all students are required to disclose where they got their information or how they completed their work to ensure said Elke Rundensteiner, head of data science and professor of computer sci- ence at Worcester Polytech- nic Institute. WPI created an artificial intelligence master's degree last fall. e master program allows students to grow technical expertise in under- standing and innovating AI systems. Around 30 students are enrolled in the program, while many undergraduate students have expressed interest in AI, Rundensteiner said. With AI-related degrees becoming more common, these degrees will drive opportunity in Massachusetts, said Pat Larkin, director of the Innovation Institute at Massachusetts Technology Collaborative and a member of the state's AI task force. In February, Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order establishing an AI Strategic Task Force to address the impact AI has had on businesses and higher education institutions. Central Mass. universities are infusing AI into their curricula, as they navigate the ethical and technical issues themselves TRAINING the workforce in AI PHOTO | MATT WRIGHT Pat Larkin, director of Innovation Institute BY SARA BEDIGIAN WBJ Editorial Intern A s artificial intelligence transforms the workforce, Central Massachusetts universities are implement- ing the technology into their courses, solidifying their policies to prevent plagiarism and trying to address concerns for faculty and students. e growth of AI curriculum comes as the technology is being touted across the economy, creating the need for an AI-trained workforce coming out of schools. While 4% of companies in a November survey from the U.S. Census Bureau said they were using AI to produce goods and services, the rate of adoption is higher at companies with more than 5,000 employees, where 50% of businesses are using AI. "Technology is changing so fast, and there are many cool things to learn," Elke Rundensteiner has been one of the leaders at Worcester Polytechnic Institute who have implemented AI into the curriculum, which includes a master's degree program. H I G H E R E D U C AT I O N

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