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�鶹��Ƶ researchers are using all areas of artificial intelligence (AI) to create new and better solutions. They are using machine learning to predict social isolation among caregivers, detect bruising across a variety of skin tones, and improve the diagnosis and treatment of vision problems. Researchers are using natural language processing to develop a technology that can automatically translate lesser-known languages. They are working with augmented reality to improve workplace safety. And that’s just a glimpse of the work, powered by AI, being conducted by George �鶹��Ƶ faculty and students. 

As the largest and most diverse university in Virginia, George �鶹��Ƶ is leading the future of inclusive AI and developing responsible models for AI research, education, workforce development, and community engagement within a modern university.

 

George �鶹��Ƶ’s Approach

Led by Amarda Shehu, the university’s inaugural vice president and chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO), and an AI Visioning Task Force, George �鶹��Ƶ is working with partners throughout the region and across the state to build a nexus of collaboration and resources called AI2Nexus. 

As a model for universities, AI2Nexus is based on four key principles: integrate AI to transform education, research, and operations; inspire AI to advance higher education and learning for the future work force; innovate AI to lead in responsible AI enabled discovery and advancements across disciplines; and impact AI to drive partnerships and community engagement for societal adoption and change.

“I knew when I started my research in this field over 20 years ago that AI would unleash enormous speed and power in innovation, which is at the heart of what drives George �鶹��Ƶ. Power lies in our ability to harness this technology in sustainable and democratic deployment that improves society and the human condition.”

Amarda Shehu, CAIO

 

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INTEGRATE AI 

Advancing Operations with PatriotAI 

George �鶹��Ƶ is reimagining operational excellence, equipping all students, faculty, and staff with access to cutting-edge generative AI models through George �鶹��Ƶ’s enterprise AI platform, PatriotAI, which is the first major outcome of our strategic partnership with Microsoft and Cloudforce. 

PatriotAI is a suite of six specialized AI tools, called agents, offering secure, university-managed access to large language models (LLMs) that can aid academic work and student life. Codeveloped with members of the campus community, these AI tools are designed to enhance learning, instruction, research, and administration across campus. 

In addition, the university has established guiding principles for the use of AI. These resources provide framework and guidance for the responsible and ethical use of AI across the academic community to help faculty, staff, and students. These guidelines are expected to evolve as the tools, student expectations, and pedagogical approaches change.

“When we talk about ‘integrate' in the context of AI, we’re not just referring to adopting new tools—we’re talking about rethinking how we work, teach, and serve,” says Charmaine Madison, George �鶹��Ƶ’s chief information officer. “AI is no longer optional; it’s a transformative force that’s already reshaping higher education. The challenge before us isn’t whether to use AI, but how to integrate it thoughtfully and effectively into the fabric of our university.”

• Patriot Chat — A general-purpose conversational assistant 
   
• DocuMate — A large-scale document analysis assistant 
   
• PatriotPal — A virtual assistant for students, providing George �鶹��Ƶ-specific information about administrative procedures, academic policies, and services 
   
• NourishNet — A resource connector for student food insecurity
   
• CourseMate — A student learning assistant that helps students understand lecture content, analyze research articles, inter-pret textbook materials, and prepare for exams 
   
• SyllaBright — A course design assistant that helps faculty develop and refine educational materials
   

“Artificial intelligence is transforming industries, reshaping societal norms, and challenging long-standing ethical frameworks. This course [AI: Ethics, Policy, and Society] provides critical insights into the ethical, societal, and policy implications of AI at a time when these technologies are increasingly deployed in areas like health care, criminal justice, and national defense.”

Jesse Kirkpatrick, co-director of the �鶹��Ƶ Autonomy and Robotics Center

 

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INSPIRE AI 

Designing Curriculum for the Future Workforce

As a leader in preparing career-ready talent for the Washington, D.C., metropolitan region, George �鶹��Ƶ is developing courses, curricula, and degree programs to better prepare our students for a rapidly changing world. 

• AI: Ethics, Policy, and Society, an interdisciplinary graduate course, debuted in spring 2025. Designed to prepare students to tackle the ethical, societal, and governance challenges presented by AI, this course draws expertise from the Schar School of Policy and Government, the College of Engineering and Computing, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.
   
• In fall 2025, a new undergraduate course open to all students, AI4All: Understanding and Building Artificial Intelligence, taught by Shehu, will be offered for the first time.
   
• In addition to a master’s degree in computer science and machine learning, a 14-credit ethics and AI minor for undergraduates of all majors, and a responsible AI graduate certificate, George �鶹��Ƶ is Virginia’s first public university to offer a stand-alone master’s degree in AI. The first students in this program begin this fall.
   
• A new PhD in Robotics, recently approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, is the first of its kind in the commonwealth and is already drawing interest from students.

George �鶹��Ƶ also partners with tech leaders like Google and Amazon Web Services to offer certifications in data analytics, cybersecurity, and cloud computing, enhancing student expertise.

 

Using AI in the Classroom

At University Career Services, career counselors are already seeing the impact of AI on graduates’ job searches. Many companies are expecting grads to arrive well versed and prepared to handle AI in the workplace. Faculty members are preparing these students by introducing AI in the classroom. 

• In the Costello College of Business, students are introduced to AI and LLMs in ACCT 661 Advanced Accounting Analytics I, and in later courses, the students are asked to think creatively about how they can use AI to change the future of accounting and auditing, says Professor Steven Maex.
   
• The capstone project in Maex’s ACCT 771 Audit Analytics class asks students to develop a new tool or use case for AI or analytics that can improve the efficiency or effectiveness of traditional ways of working.
   
• In her MGMT 421 Advanced Human Resource Management course, Cindy Parker, BS Psychology ’92, MA ’94, PhD ’98, has students use generative AI to help them develop a structured interview guide, after they do some initial work on their own. “I teach them some prompt engineering best practices, and they are asked to critique the output generated by AI,” says Parker.
   
• Professor Tyler Cowen, BS Economics ’83, is using his book GOAT: Who Is the Greatest Economist of All Time and Why Does It Matter? as the primary text for his ECON 895 History of Economic Thought course. Published in GPT 4 and Claude 2, the book comes with a chat bot, allowing students to ask questions and receive responses.

 

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INNOVATE AI 

Building a Responsible Ecosystem 

George �鶹��Ƶ researchers are focused on tackling the world’s most urgent challenges with a vision for societal change. The university’s ecosystem of cutting-edge research, incubators and other resources for entrepreneurs, a robust tech transfer program, and industry partners helps foster interdisciplinary collaborations and substantiate a cycle between foundational and user-inspired AI research within ethical frameworks. 

The university hosts workshops, conferences, and public forums to shape the discourse on AI ethics and governance while forging deep and meaningful partnerships with industry, government, and community organizations to develop impactful AI technologies for a richly diverse global society.

• Schar School of Policy and Government researcher J. P. Singh has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Minerva Research Initiative to study the economic and cultural determinants for global AI infrastructures and their implications for international security.
   
• College of Public Health researchers Farrokh Alemi and Kevin Lybarger have received George �鶹��Ƶ’s first Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute award for developing an AI system, using LLMs, that helps patients find the right depression medication.
   
• College of Engineering and Computing researchers Abolfazl Safikhani and Tianshu Feng are using machine learning to develop a tool to improve transparency and assist government decision-makers and urban planners with land use and development.
   
• Costello College of Business researchers Yi Cao and Long Chen are exploring how individual investors can use LLMs, like Gemini, to glean market insights from publicly available data about companies.

 

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IMPACT AI 

Driving Community Engagement and Adoption 

The university’s AI-in-Government Council is a partnership between academia, public-sector tech providers, and government. It is a trusted resource for advancing AI approaches, governance frameworks, and guardrails to guide the development and deployment of responsible AI in government. 

Leading experts and faculty also participate in statewide efforts. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin appointed Jamil Jaffer, the founder and executive director of the National Security Institute (NSI) at George �鶹��Ƶ’s Antonin Scalia Law School, to his AI Task Force, which is working with legislators to regulate rapidly advancing AI technology. Jaffer and NSI Fellow Zach Graves are two of the 10 appointees to the task force. 

Shehu and Padhu Seshaiyer, a professor of mathematical sciences in the College of Science, were appointed by Youngkin to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia’s EO30 task force. EO30 refers to Youngkin’s Executive Order 30, which calls for the “Implementation of Standards for the Safe Use of AI Across the Commonwealth.” 

Even the summer camps are getting involved. The Accelerated College and Employability Skills (ACCESS) Academy lab school brought high school students to Fuse at �鶹��Ƶ Square for an AI Summer Camp where students explored the basics of machine learning through hands-on projects. Students in the monthlong AI4Defense summer program not only gained technical and communication skills but also engaged in customer discovery—working directly with mission partners to define problems and tailor AI solutions accordingly.