Arizona State University researchers will continue to make strides in the use of AI in real-world situations thanks in part to a $2.8 million grant and collaboration with the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The grant is part of the NSF’s ExpandAI initiative, an effort to bring Hispanic-Serving Institutions (such as ASU), minority-serving institutions and historically Black colleges and universities more opportunities to do high-level research in the field.

"By fostering a diverse community of AI researchers and cultivating an inclusive workforce, we ensure that the voices of researchers across our country are represented in the development of this transformative technology," NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said in a statement on NSF News. "This is not just about advancing AI; it's about ensuring that AI innovation supports and benefits the entire nation, leaving no one behind. Through these ExpandAI awards, we are taking significant steps toward a future where AI serves the needs of all communities, not just a select few."

The idea behind the project is that the use of AI in devices that people can use in the real world — such as phones, smartwatches and sensors integrated into our homes and cars — can have the potential to revolutionize health and wellness through continuous monitoring, intervention and decision-making. The challenge, College of Health Solutions Associate Professor Hassan Ghasemzadeh said, is to harness the power and immense data needs of AI in ways that can be used in small, portable devices.

“These are small devices,” Ghasemzadeh said. “You can’t take Chat GPT and put it on an embedded device because it’s huge in terms of computation. The question is how do you optimize it for implementation on these devices. These devices need to be interactive. A lot of these technologies interact with end users, patients.”

ASU’s effort, “NSF Expanding AI Innovation in Pervasive Systems at Arizona State University,” is led by Ghasemzadeh, Pavan Turaga, director and professor with the School of Arts, Media and Engineering as well as the School of Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering, Giulia Pedrielli in computer science and Daniel Rivera in chemical engineering. Adam Klivans of the University of Texas at Austin Department of Computer Science is also a co-principal investigator for the project.

"This grant leverages many interdisciplinary strengths at ASU, including media arts and sciences, computing sciences and health sciences,” Turaga said. “We are very excited at the possibilities from such a radical fusion and expansion of AI capacity at ASU.”

The ASU team will work with the NSF’s Institute for Foundations of Machine Learning (IFML) housed at the University of Texas at Austin. That collaboration will open up the vast resources of the IFML to ASU researchers and students in areas such as robust machine learning, reinforcement learning and robotics.

“We are celebrating this collaboration with IFML bringing people who have expertise in assistive devices and AI to ASU,” Ghasemzadeh said. “I’m really excited about it. It’s really important for us and the college, and it is timely in particular with the development and growth of ASU Health.”