Research
AI center launching
A new grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities will elevate the university’s role in shaping the future of artificial intelligence, particularly in the context of higher education.
The highly competitive grant of more than $700,000 supports the establishment of the Center for Liberal Arts and AI — or CLAAI (pronounced clay). The center will bring together researchers, students, and educators from 15 colleges across the Associated Colleges of the South to explore pressing social, cultural, and legal dimensions of artificial intelligence, with a focus on visual AI.
“This center will build on our institutional strengths in digital and public humanities and visual AI,” said Joan Saab, executive vice president and provost.
Richmond is one of five colleges and universities across the country to receive funding through the Humanities Research Centers on Artificial Intelligence program. (See sidebar.) The centers “will serve as hubs for interdisciplinary collaborative research on the human and social impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies,” according to the NEH.
Lauren Tilton, professor of digital humanities, will direct CLAAI, which will open in the fall of 2025.
“Along with building on UR’s international reputation in digital humanities, CLAAI will connect a network of innovative liberal arts colleges to address pressing AI challenges by building on the power of the humanities and our commitment to cutting-edge interdisciplinary teaching and research,” Tilton said.