By Susan Ambrosetti

Faculty, students and research partners gathered in the Victor K. Wilson Memorial Hall Ballroom on February 18 to learn how recipients of this year’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IAI) seed grants are pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence. The atmosphere at Innovation & Collaboration: 2026 IAI Research Grants Spotlight felt less like a formal symposium and more like a reunion of curious minds ready to imagine the future together.

The program opened with remarks from Alessandro Orso, dean of the College of Engineering; Nathan Nibbelink, associate vice president for research; and Prashant Doshi, IAI’s executive director, who emphasized the coming together of multiple leadership offices on campus to make the seed grants possible.

"Each seeded research project is bold and inherently multidisciplinary which is reflected in the team compositions. The teams are pushing the envelope of how AI models and methods can significantly advance various fields of study that are central to UGA,” remarked Dr. Doshi.

Following the welcome, the first round of presentations featured projects in emergency medicine, mental health, veterinary pathology, and autonomous vehicles. Each team offered a distinct perspective on AI innovation, from multi-agent world models for clinical training in the emergency department to multimodal biomarkers for depression. The range of topics underscored how deeply AI research intersects with human well-being and scientific discovery.

After a lively breakout session around the Institute’s convergence themes, attendees returned for the second round of talks. This session highlighted equally ambitious efforts: responsible causal AI for public policy; interpretable deep learning linking childhood experiences to biological outcomes; large-scale datasets for poultry management; and AI-assisted breeding for disease-resistant peppers. Presenters emphasized not only technical advances but also the broader impact of their work, reminding the audience that innovation is most powerful when it serves communities.

As the afternoon concluded, Kyle Johnsen, associate director of IAI and professor at the College of Engineering, offered a forward-looking perspective on how high-performance computing and emerging AI platforms will continue to accelerate research across the university. His remarks tied together the day’s themes: collaboration, curiosity, and a shared drive to develop methods that make a difference.

The University of Georgia’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence awarded seed grants to eight university-wide research projects designed to advance interdisciplinary AI research. The grants, which support faculty across 11 schools and colleges, aim to spark breakthroughs in how data science and artificial intelligence is applied to complex societal challenges. The grants, totaling $276,250, represent a significant step in UGA’s strategic commitment to applying data science and artificial intelligence to real-world challenges. These awards provide faculty with critical resources to launch high-impact projects that are positioned to secure future external investment. Additionally, the grants provide researchers with access to OpenAI’s latest AI models through UGA’s participation in the NextGenAI consortium. UGA’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence is a research and instructional unit jointly supported by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Research. More than 100 faculty from colleges across campus are affiliated with the institute.

On March 12th, IAI will sponsor a UGA Signature Lecture: Dr. Millind Tambe, professor of computer science at Harvard University, principal scientist, and director at Google Research will speak about AI for Social Good and Public Health: Bandit algorithms, social networks, and AI agents (10:00-11:30, UGA Memorial Ballroom).