Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence
April 16, 2021
Dr. Shengjie Xu is director of the AI Lab at DSU’s Madison Cyber Labs.
Talk of artificial intelligence, or AI, is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society.
AI is defined as intelligence demonstrated by machines, and “the good use of AI can offer many optimized solutions (that we were not able to offer before) to challenging technological problems and move our society forward,” said Dr. Shengjie Xu, Assistant Professor of Computer & Cyber Sciences in The Beacom College of Computer and Cyber Sciences.
AI can help in many critical areas, Xu said, such as advanced wireless communications (5G and beyond), robotics & manufacturing, smart cities, general education, and many others.
“AI can greatly improve efficiencies of workplaces and can augment the workforce. In STEM fields, students, researchers, practitioners and many others can apply the cutting-edge AI technologies to make creative applications for the public good.”
But, as with any technology, it is a double-edged sword, with ethical issues surrounding AI and its applications. These issues need “to be addressed by a collective of wisdom formed by people from many disciplines,” said Xu, such as computer science, statistics, business management, linguistics, psychology, criminal justice, journalism, and many others.
“Many organizations are promoting Trustworthy AI. The idea of Trustworthy AI is that AI and its applications should be lawful, ethical, and robust,” he explained.
Xu is now head of one of the newest research units in the Madison Cyber Labs (MadLabs), the AI lab, working on cutting-edge AI research projects.
These academic and research options benefit students, Xu said, because “our students learn not only theoretical knowledge from the textbooks, but also practical hands-on skill sets that are very critical to today’s job market. It is a blessing to see our talented students become very competitive.”
DSU’s leadership and research teams also offer him opportunities and support in research and teaching.
“Many of my colleagues at DSU are very professional and talented, and I learn a lot from them to improve my teaching and research skills.” - Dr. Shengjie Xu
He is also involved with professional organizations including the IEEE, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
“Serving as an editorial board member (on international journals) takes my professional work to a new level,” Xu said. “As a professor, we have our daily routines of teaching, research, and service. As an editor of a journal, I am serving to discover innovative and high-quality research discoveries that will be impactful to the research community.”