The AI Lab is designed to be closely integrated with URI courses in all disciplines. Hundreds of students utilize the AI Lab through existing courses in nearly every College at URI. Some examples of the Lab’s uses include the following:

• Students in engineering taking the Wearable Internet of Things (ELE 491/591) course will apply machine/deep learning algorithms to enhance designed wearables items that collect data on health.
• Students in engineering taking the Neural Engineering (BME 468/ELE 568) course will utilize the AI Lab’s processing power to gain a deeper understanding of using brain electrical activity to control robots and other technology.
• Students in the Intro to Philosophy (PHL 103) course will undertake foundational programming exercises, allowing students to engage in discussions related to relationships between man and machine.

The Lab also serves as a generator of new courses exploring AI from fields outside computing, engineering and mathematics. Topics under consideration include examining the implications of AI for neuroscientific applications to health and cognition (psychology/health studies); and clarifying what constitutes “thinking” and whether self-aware machines have rights (philosophy/mathematical log), among others. Especially suitable for Grand Challenge and integrative requirements in URI’s General Education Program, interdisciplinary courses such as these will reach all undergraduate students (regardless of major) and can be piloted in the immediate short term through URI’s Honors program.