Considering Chicago was once dubbed “The City that Works,” it’s also the perfect location to host an event about AI's role in the future workforce.

In late February, the Discovery Partners Institute hosted industry partners, Illinois faculty, and community members for a panel discussion on "Preparing for the AI-Powered Workforce." The event highlighted opportunities and challenges new AI tools and skills bring to the economy, while underscoring the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign’s role as a sought-after source for AI expertise, shaping national conversations on AI education and workforce readiness. Professor Lane, who serves as principal investigator and director of the NSF-funded INVITE AI Institute, specifically weighed in on advancing AI research for K-12 STEM education programs and AI capacity building for educators.

U.S. Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-8) was the featured guest and highlighted the importance of AI leadership. 

“Staying on the cutting edge of transformative technology like Artificial Intelligence (AI) is critical to ensuring that the United States maintains leadership over our strategic competitors like the Chinese Communist Party,” Krishnamoorthi said. “Programs that effectively develop the skilled workforce able to command these sophisticated technologies deserve more attention and federal resources. The University of Illinois and Discovery Partners Institute are exemplary institutions and are instrumental to training the next generation of experts.”

Laurel Passantino, assistant dean for research at The Grainger College of Engineering, moderated the panel of faculty experts and spoke on behalf of the university's award winning research portfolio.

“Over just a few short years, it has become clear how prevalent and important the proper development of Artificial Intelligence, or AI, will be to our society’s future” Passantino said. “Already, we at Grainger Engineering are working in many different areas to lead the way in AI development and practice. Our researchers and instructors compose a top-five ranked AI program that accounts for nearly $270 million in funding for AI-related projects. Our Urbana-Champaign campus has six research centers or institutes devoted to digital transformation and AI. These entities work on projects intersecting AI with Manufacturing, Interactive Conversational Experiences, Agriculture, and Education.

Our educational and training initiatives in AI prepare the next generation workforce. We also work to make sure that our presence meets communities where they are as we foster deep collaboration with our Chicago partners.”

Read the full story from the Siebel School of Computing and Data Science...