2024

January 2, 2024

Digital twin technology helps scientists simulate problems, provide solutions to help growers

Dana Choi and Charlie Li from UF/IFAS are utilizing digital twin technology to revolutionize agricultural practices, with Choi focusing on robotic and sensor simulations for agricultural automation and Li on training machine-learning models for crop phenotyping. This technology, leveraging advances in AI and computing, allows for precise virtual modeling to optimize real-world agricultural applications and decision-making.

January 2, 2024

Study: Frequent Consumption of AI-Related News Can Lead to Increased AI Literacy and Support of AI Policies and Regulation

A study reveals that frequent engagement with AI-related news fosters political discussions on AI, enhancing AI literacy and support for AI policies and regulations, influenced by the level of AI efficacy among individuals. This moderated relationship underscores the importance of AI news in shaping public opinion and policy endorsement, highlighting the need for informed and active citizen engagement in AI governance.

January 10, 2024

Year in Review: Artificial Intelligence and Nephrology

Azra Bihorac and Benjamin Shickel's review in Nature Reviews Nephrology showcases the transformative impact of AI in nephrology, particularly through the use of large language models and diverse patient data sources. They predict that AI's continued evolution will significantly advance nephrology by integrating personalized patient data and natural language processing to enhance medical understanding and practice.

January 18, 2024

How scientists are using UF's supercomputer

The University of Florida's HiPerGator supercomputer is catalyzing breakthroughs in over 800 research projects across various disciplines, supported by a $50 million investment from an alumnus and NVIDIA. This powerful AI tool is not only advancing scientific research but also playing a key role in educating the next generation in AI applications.

January 23, 2024

AI-powered app can detect poison ivy

University of Florida scientists, led by Nathan Boyd, developed an AI-powered app designed to identify poison ivy in real-time, even without internet connectivity, aiming to reduce the annual incidence of up to 50 million people worldwide suffering from rashes caused by the plant. The app, which is yet to be commercially released, demonstrated its effectiveness through a study that involved training a computer to recognize poison ivy from thousands of images collected from various locations, thereby potentially minimizing health concerns related to contact with the plant.

January 29, 2024

How Instagram Algorithms Can Impact Influencer Following and Endorsement Effectiveness

Instagram's algorithms play a pivotal role in forming user habits around following influencers, significantly impacting the effectiveness of influencer marketing, as explored in a study by Yang Feng and Quan Xie.

January 31, 2024

At UF, human connections power artificial intelligence

Through the integration of AI, researchers at the University of Florida are exploring new frontiers in psychology, political science, and beyond, leveraging AI's capabilities to tackle complex challenges and foster interdisciplinary collaborations, ultimately aiming to advance research and education in diverse fields.

February 5, 2024

Can we create the molecules of life?

Utilizing the HiPerGator supercomputer, researchers at the University of Florida have shown that amino acids and DNA bases, key components of life, can form in the right conditions, marking a significant step towards explaining how life might have originated.

February 8, 2024

University of Florida to strengthen its sports program through AI-Powered Athletics

The University of Florida launches a groundbreaking AI-Powered Athletics project within the UF & Sport Collaborative, supported by a $2.5 million investment from UF President Ben Sasse, aiming to enhance sports performance and healthcare through wearable sensor data and health analytics. This initiative, a collaboration between the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the University Athletic Association, seeks to leverage AI for student-athlete performance and health, contributing to UF's global leadership in sports science and education.

February 12, 2024

How UF is combatting AI misinformation in elections

As the 2024 election approaches, the challenge of navigating disinformation is heightened by advanced AI tools capable of creating highly convincing deepfakes, according to Janet Coats of the University of Florida's Consortium on Trust in Media and Technology. UF combats this threat by developing AI detection tools and educating on media literacy, aiming to empower both journalists and the public in distinguishing real news from misinformation.

February 22, 2024

Colleges are using AI to prepare hospitality workers of the future

Rachel J.C. Fu's new book emphasizes the growing importance of AI in the hospitality industry, predicting a shift towards technology-driven jobs and enhancing guest experiences through AI applications, from operational tasks to personalized learning and customer service in education and industry practices.

February 24, 2024

AI technology: A promising aid in nursing education and beyond

Dr. Lisiane Pruinelli at the University of Florida College of Nursing explores the promising role of AI in reducing nurse burnout and enhancing patient care, highlighting both the potential and the current limitations of technologies like ChatGPT in nursing education. She advocates for the ethical integration of AI to streamline administrative tasks and improve direct patient interactions, emphasizing the need for thorough evaluation to ensure these technologies truly benefit patient outcomes.

February 28, 2024

UF Health project seeks to help mothers in need

The University of Florida Health's new project aims to reduce pregnancy health risks by using a patient dashboard to identify and address social determinants like housing, food insecurity, and stress early, connecting mothers with needed resources to improve outcomes.

March 12, 2024

UF researchers evaluate academic performance of chatbots

A study by University of Florida researchers found that OpenAI's GPT-4 outperformed the student average on most graduate-level biomedical exams but struggled with certain complex questions, indicating a need for careful evaluation of its accuracy and trustworthiness in academic and healthcare contexts.

March 22, 2024

Nancy Ruzycki's summer science camps continue to empower young scientists

Nancy Ruzycki's Goldberg Gator Engineering Explorers Summer Program, initiated in 2022 with support from a significant donation and a State grant, has successfully empowered young scientists and teachers through hands-on AI and engineering education. The program has expanded its reach and curriculum, offering summer camps, teacher training, and an after-school virtual program to foster computational thinking and problem-solving skills among students

March 27, 2024

Musical Marvel: Hollywood has taken notice of this engineer-turned-composer’s AI-infused art

Tina Tallon, a composer and AI and the Arts professor at the University of Florida, harnessed spectral data from stars using a computer model she developed, converting it into sound for a Marvel movie score, showcasing a creative blend of science and art to make astronomy data accessible and to foster collaboration between disciplines.

April 2, 2024

White House officials tour UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center; admire AI initiatives, tout importance of cybersecurity

White House officials, including Jake Braun, toured the University of Florida's Gulf Coast Research and Education Center to discuss the importance of cybersecurity in agricultural AI technologies, aiming to safeguard food supply chains.

April 8, 2024

CJC Alumnus Uses AI to Make Jobs Easier for Hearst Journalists

UFCJC alumnus Ryan Serpico has created the AI tool Producer-P, significantly streamlining workflow in Hearst Newspaper newsrooms by automating routine journalistic tasks. This innovation allows journalists to focus more on core reporting and less on time-consuming processes.

April 10, 2024

Researchers create a new AI pipeline for identifying molecular interactions

Assistant Professor Alberto Perez and his team have created a groundbreaking AI-driven algorithm, the AF-CBA Pipeline, to efficiently identify molecular interactions between proteins and peptides with high accuracy and speed. This tool, which leverages advances in computational technology and AI, particularly building on Google Deepmind's AlphaFold, aims to facilitate the development of targeted therapies for diseases by predicting the structure of peptide binders to problematic proteins, with initial focus on combating viruses like murine leukemia virus and Kaposi’s sarcoma virus.