Cartoon image of woman and robot having dinner Image by Getty Images

Why I Invited AI to Dinner

Michael Millner, associate professor of American studies and English at UMass Lowell (UML), authored an article in Inside Higher Ed titled Why I Invited AI to Dinner. Millner discusses using AI chatbots in the classroom to help students approach academic inquiry as a dynamic dialogue. Students analyze texts like Emerson's Self-Reliance through AI interactions, enhancing critical thinking skills.

AI News at UML

  • Biological Sciences Assistant Professor Teresa Lee looks into a microscope in a lab

    12 of the Nation's Best and Brightest Researchers

    Over the past four years, the National Science Foundation has recognized 12 UMass Lowell faculty researchers as some of the nation’s best junior, tenure-track scholars by awarding them prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) grants.
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  • A woman gestures with her hands while giving a talk alongside a podium in a room.

    Computer Scientist Finds the Rules for Helpful Robots and AI

    Assistant Professor of Computer Science Samantha Reig, a researcher with AI-CARING, a National Science Foundation-funded initiative exploring how artificial intelligence can be used to help support older adults, is focused on figuring out how emerging technologies can fill gaps in day-to-day life without going beyond what’s needed.
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  • A young woman with dark hair and round glasses poses for a photo with a laptop in a bedroom.

    Computer Science Grad Pays It Forward with Hawk Advisor

    Computer science graduate Jessica Vu ’26 created Hawk Advisor, an AI-powered website that helps UMass Lowell students explore career paths and choose electives that align with their professional goals.
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  • Two women smile while standing at a podium at the front of a room. There are several audience members seated before them.

    Friend or Foe? Research Symposium Explores the Paradox of Technology

    UMass Lowell's research symposium, “Friend or Foe: Transforming Social Media & AI for a Healthy Future,” brought together interdisciplinary experts and students to explore the complex relationship between technology, artificial intelligence and mental health.
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  • Philosophy Chair Nicholas Evans and Criminology Assoc. Prof. Neil Shortland sit side by side

    Professors Study Future of AI in Warfare and Policy

    Philosophy Chair Nicholas Evans and Criminology Assoc. Prof. Neil Shortland are researching the future of artificial intelligence in warfare and policy under a pair of Department of Defense Minerva Grants worth $4.2 million, leading teams that include paid student researchers and other UML and outside faculty.
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  • The letters AI with a halo on the A and devil horns on the I

    AI: Friend or Foe?

    The jury’s still out on whether artificial intelligence will do more good than harm. UML experts address 11 of the most pressing questions about AI.
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    New Program Gives Graduate Students a LIFT

    Ten students recently completed UMass Lowell’s Innovative Fellows Training (LIFT), a new program supported by a five-year, $1.2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging that is designed to diversify career opportunities for early-career scientists in the field of aging and aging-related diseases.
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  • NERVE Adam Norton and Holly Yanco

    UMass Lowell AI, Robotics Expert Named AAAS Fellow

    Renowned artificial intelligence and robotics expert Holly Yanco, who leads UMass Lowell’s Richard A. Miner School of Computer and Information Sciences, has been elected as a 2023 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science by the organization.
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  • A man in glasses and a plaid shirt sits at a desk that has three robotos on it

    Would You Buy Soap from an AI-Powered Robot Dog?

    As people develop a stronger sense of connection to artificial intelligence-powered robots, Mark Yi-Cheon Yim, an associate professor of marketing, entrepreneurship and innovation, is researching whether the robots can influence purchasing decisions.
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  • A woman works at a desk at home while holding a child

    Women Still Do More Housework Than Men. Can AI Help?

    In a new research paper for the Brookings Institution, Assoc. Profs. of Management Elizabeth J. Altman and Beth Humberd examine the potential for artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and other emerging technologies to alleviate the unequal burden of household work done by men and women.
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AI: Friend or Foe? (UML Magazine)

  • Can AI save the planet? Will AI help us live longer? How does AI affect security and privacy? UML Magazine considers the impact of AI, answering these and other pressing questions.