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Attendees take pictures of the Engineered Arts Ameca humanoid robot with artificial intelligence is demonstrated during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on January 5, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. — © AFP
The University of Southern California has launched a $1 billion initiative aimed at boosting computing. This includes AI / machine learning, advanced computation and quantum computing. Announced by USC President Carol L. Folt, the funding is said to be the single largest academic initiative in the university’s history. Included within the spend is a $260 million gift from the Lord Foundation of California.
Also included is funding being directed towards data science, augmented and virtual reality, robotics, gaming and blockchain solutions.
Dubbed ‘Frontiers of Computing’, the initiative integrates computing throughout education and research. A central aim is to expand and to enhance digital literacy for all students.
There will be a new school, to be named the USC School of Advanced Computing. This institution will be housed in a seven-story, 116,000 square-foot facility. This building will be named the ‘Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Hall’, and it should open in the autumn of 2024. The opening of the building will also see new employment opportunities arising.
The building and its activities will connect with two of USC’s tech incubators, the Information Sciences Institute and Institute for Creative Technologies, located close to Silicon Beach on L.A.’s West side.
As well as technology, the program also includes a focus on ethics. USC aims to instil a culture of responsibility and conscience among students, faculty and its broader community across academic programs. Ethical concerns are seen as especially important for generative A.I.
Folt is quoted as saying: “I want every student who comes through our programs, whether they are in science, business, the humanities or the arts, to have a solid grounding in technology and the ethics of the work that they do. We will integrate digital literacy across disciplines to create responsible leaders for the workforce of the future.”
In relation to Folt’s comment, the initiative will broadly integrate computing across multiple disciplines and academic programs.
The world needs engineers and computer scientists to solve the grand challenges. The forthcoming School of Advanced Computing could be the springboard for this within the fast-changing world.
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