Greetings everyone,
I hope you have all been able to enjoy our first official month of summer. There is so much going on at the university right now, particularly related to our leadership in technology.
Last month, at the 2024 Mackinac Policy Conference, President Ono announced the creation of a new “innovation corridor” between Ann Arbor and Detroit. This initiative is a partnership between U-M and the Detroit Regional Chamber. It will significantly foster technological advancement and economic growth in our area over the next decade. One of its primary goals is to keep skilled graduates from Michigan universities in the state and to secure financing for companies founded by researchers.
U-M is also attracting a lot of attention for our groundbreaking work with artificial intelligence. President Ono spoke at an open forum on AI during the opening ceremonies for the newly revamped Michigan Central Station in Detroit. The restoration work they have done on the station is incredible.
During the panel, President Ono told the crowd, “Everybody needs to learn how to code, and everybody needs to be able to leverage AI and [machine learning] for us to achieve what we can achieve to reach our potential as a city, as a corridor, as a state, as a nation. The University of Michigan, the reason why we’re the first university to have a customized AI tool available to every member of faculty, staff, and students, is because we’re committed to democratizing, and we want to do that beyond our campuses.”
Our AI work was further highlighted in a new report from MIT for responsibly using generative AI in higher education. Again, it was wonderful to see our hard work – from our platform development to our GenAI committee report – being recognized in such public ways.
What is amazing is that these are just a few of the examples of how the incredible work of our Michigan IT community is solidifying U-M’s role as a global leader in technological innovation. I am so grateful to be a part of this team.
Please enjoy the rest of your summer, and thank you for all that you contribute to our university.
With gratitude,
Ravi
Ravi Pendse PhD
Vice President for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer
University of Michigan
