Artificial intelligence is currently being capitalized on in every industry across the globe. In education, many students and teachers see AI technology as inept when it comes to academic resources and success. However, the Clemson Artificial Intelligence club sees the innovation as a creative outlet and skill-building tool, rather than as a method of shirking intellectual responsibility.
Clemson’s AI club has embraced the technology with the belief that there is no escaping the upcoming surge of AI. The club ensures the focal point of AI usage defaults to a hands-on, human-guided practice, such as enhancing coding to craft amplified mechanizations, whether those are digital or physical.
“The reality is that AI has integrated itself into our everyday lives, and it’s not going away anytime soon,” Angie Diaz-Hernandez, co-president of the AI club, said in an interview with The Tiger.
“We feel that Clemson needs an organization that will break the stigma around AI and help tech students stay competitive in the job market. Our club aims to break down AI into achievable skills and knowledge for the Clemson community.”
When they are not running a workshop or presentation, the AI club brings in guest speakers for various meetings throughout the year to provide students with examples of how AI is used in real-life work fields.
Last semester, Yoshi Suhara, senior deep learning scientist at NVIDIA, spoke at a club meeting about his experience in coding new systems.
NVIDIA is a world-renowned company that focuses on designing and developing computer chips, otherwise referred to as graphics processing units (GPUs), that allow for the optimization of high-resolution visuals and graphics, particularly in video games and computational operations. The creative design team works closely with AI that the GPUs accelerate to curate ideal visual and performance outcomes.
Suhara is currently working on developing small language models that can be used for everyday applications, such as processing medical records and financial documents, as well as strengthening mobile apps. A small language model is a less sophisticated form of AI than large language models like ChatGPT.
Instead of using AI as a placeholder for artistic expression and human innovation, the AI club aims to recontextualize AI as a new mode of providing assistance in jobs, mainly those that revolve around computer science. The executive board emphasizes the idea of being imaginative, prioritizing human ingenuity while also experimenting with modern technological advancements to amplify original designs.
As someone looking for career opportunities that may involve AI as a creative tool, Diaz-Hernandez participated in Clemson University’s hackathon, known as CUhackit, to test and improve her innovative coding skills. The co-president was able to find out about this opportunity via her connections in the AI club.
At the CUhackit event, Diaz-Hernandez worked with a team of students to code an “AI Advisor,” which simulated guiding confused undergraduates through class registration at the University. The panel of judges from Amazon chose the “AI Advisor” as the winner for that specific category, leading to scientific prizes and professional connections.
“I joined CUhackit because the other officers I was with last year showed me how important involvement was to my career. Then, one of the reasons we won was because I decided to base what we built off of a topic covered in an AI club meeting,” Diaz-Hernandez told The Tiger.
As co-president, Diaz-Hernandez has been organizing a collaboration with the Clemson Career Innovation Lab as well as a computer science club showcase, including FinTech, CUHackit, CUCyber, Girls Who Code and other clubs to demonstrate all the extracurricular opportunities available to incoming students on campus. These events, along with the innovation lab taking place on Sept. 3 and the CS showcase on Sept. 10, are all a gateway to using AI for ingenious projects that lead to original outcomes.
AI club aims to pave a clear pathway for students interested in a computer science career by encouraging the usage of networking and campus involvement in other technology-centered campus organizations, such as FinTech, CUHackit, CUCyber, Girls Who Code, etc.
You can find more information about club meetings and events on the AI club Instagram, @clemsonai.
