MariamSerghat(left) andAbrahamLozano Serna(right),ASU students AI Acceleration
ASU President
Michael M. Crow
ArizonaStateUniversityisdesignedto evolvethroughconstantinnovation Our NewAmericanUniversitymodelincludesa promisetoadvanceresearchanddiscovery ofpublicvalueandtoassumefundamental responsibilityfortheeconomic,socialand culturalhealthofthecommunitiesASU serves.
Thatpromise,alongwithourfocuson accessandinclusion,drivesASU’sembrace ofAI Itisatoolthatamplifieshuman capability,compressestimeandisan equalizerthatredistributespower
ASUisputtingittowork Inourschoolsof engineeringandmedicine,wearepreparing studentstodesignandimplementthe digital,AIandsoftware-drivenmedical technologiesthatareshapingmodern clinicalcare
Inourclassrooms,wearebuildingagentic systemsthatcoordinatetodeliver personalizedlearningatscale
Acrossourresearchenterprises,fromthe GlobalFuturesLabtotheSchoolof TechnologyforPublicHealth,weare developingdata-drivenapproachesthat delivermeasurableimpactthatwillserve thestateofArizonaandbeyond
ThisisAIinmotion Applied Coordinated Alignedwithmissionandpurpose The workinthesepagesisnotabout technologyforitsownsake Itisaboutusing AItosolveproblemsfaster,servemore
peopleandadvancediscoveryinwaysthat matter Itisaboutleadingthewaytohelp othersengagewhilebuildingauniversity thatservesthelearnersoftodaywhowill meetthechallengesandcreatethe opportunitiesofthefuture
Humanlearningwillalwaysbeatthecenter ofchange,masteringthecomplexitiesof technologicalchange.
AtASU,webelieveitisourresponsibilityto leadatthistimeofrapidchange Wehave designedauniversitycapableofmeeting thismoment,andwearecommittedto helpingotherslearnhowtomakeittheir momentaswell.
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Anne Jones
AtArizonaStateUniversity, faculty,staffandstudentsare attheforefrontofapplyingAI toexpandaccessand advanceacademicexcellence atscale WeareembeddingAI acrosstheuniversity. Integratingitintocurricula, designingnewlearning experiencesandpreparing studentstobuildthenext generationofintelligent systems
Thisworkreflectsabroader commitmenttouseAInotas anendbutasatoolto strengthenlearning, acceleratediscoveryand betterserveourcommunities
AIisinmotionatASU:applied, evolvingandalignedwithour mission AIisshapingnotonly howwelearnandteach,but howhighereducationcanlead inarapidlychangingworld
AI is in motion at ASU: applied, evolving and aligned with our mission.
ASUAI innovators
TheAIJourneyismadepossible throughthecollaborativeeffortsof ASU’sEnterpriseTechnology CreativexCommunicationsteam andMediaRelationsandStrategic Communications,alongwith additionalcontributingunits, ensuringacomprehensiveand cohesiveinitiative
Ourteamofstorytellersanddigital strategistsisexcitedtoshowcase howtechnologyisdriving transformationatASU
Thispublicationwasdesignedby GraphicDesignSpecialist,Hyde Groatand SeniorCommunications Specialist,AlishaMendez.
Forewordphotography:ASU PresidentMichaelCrowPhotoby SamanthaChow,ArizonaState University
ContributorsincludeASUNews,as wellasindividualreporters including:MaryBethFaller,Kelly deVos,TinaMiller,MollyLoonam, MarshallTerrill,KristenLaRueSandler,TerryGrant,Stephanie King,SophieJones,StephanieKing, AnnieDavis,CorinnaBusciglio KamilliandMonikaShukla.
Thisreportwasdevelopedinpart usingAItoolstoenhanceand streamlinecontent
ExplorehowArizonaState Universityisharnessingthepower ofAItoenhanceteaching,learning andresearchbyvisitingai.asu.edu.
AIin
motion
Innovativeeducation
Students help lead the next wave of AI innovation
ThroughtheAIAccelerationStudent InnovationChallenge,studentsareturning livedexperiencesintofully-developedAI pitchestohelpfellowASUstudents Ideas includeanAI-poweredcompanionthat createsapersonalized,guidedexperiencefor studentsviaCanvas,amentalhealthplatform andasocialengagementplatformtoimprove campuslife
Innovativeeducation
Don't just read it. Skeptik it.
Skeptik,developedbyProfessorRoss MaciejewskiandASUresearchers,isa browser-basedtoolthathelpsreadersspot hiddenflawsinonlinenews Usinglarge languagemodelspairedwithhuman communicationtheory,itautomatically identifiesandexplainslogicalfallacies, teachingcommunitymemberstoquestion howrhetoricshapesbelief,notjustfacts.
Source:ASUNews
AIadoption
ASU teams up with will.i.am to launch
The Agentic Self
ASUpartnerswithtechinnovatorand creatorwill.i.amtolaunchTheAgentic Self,aspring2026AIcoursehe designsandteachesasprofessorof practice Thecollaborationincludes EDU FYI,anNVIDIA-poweredplatform thatexpandsASU’sAIinitiatives Formore,seepages32-37
Source:ASUNews
AIadoption
An 11 yearold, AI and a climate guide for the world
WhenSelenaMarwahadiscovereda globalclimateguideco-developedbythe JulieAnnWrigleyGlobalFutures LaboratoryatASU,sheusedAItocreate aquizforyoungpeoplebasedonthe contentoftheParliamentarian’sglobal guidetoclimatechangeandclimate solutions,producedbyASUGFL Explore thequizhere:climate-change-kidversion.lovable.app/youth-foreword
The
rise of personalized AI
in the classroom
AspartofW P CareySchoolofBusiness’ pushtobringAIintoeverycourse,Clinical ProfessorofFinanceAtifIkramand AssociateProfessorofAccountancy ScottEmettsharedhowtheyareusing “Syllabot,”anAItoolusedtouploadsyllabi andenablethebottoanswercommon studentquestionsaboutpolicies,grading andcourseexpectations.
How ASU is leading the national conversation on journalism and AI
TheNationalJournalism+AIAccelerator eventwasheldinJanuary2026bythe KnightCenterfortheFutureofNewsat ASU'sWalterCronkiteSchoolof JournalismandMassCommunication andASUNEWSWELL
Source:ASUNews
ASU launches new PhD in AI
OfferedbytheSchoolofComputingand AugmentedIntelligence,the newPhDin ArtificialIntelligenceequipsthenext generationofinnovatorstoadvancethe frontiersofAI:collaboratingwithhighlyactivefacultyresearchgroupsandgaining expertiseinthecutting-edgeofAIwhile simultaneouslydevelopingtheskillsto inventanddeploynewAIalgorithmsand systems areas.
Introducing the Learning Design Suite
TheASULearningDesign
SuiteisacollectionofAIpoweredtoolsand resourcesthatenables faculty andinstructional designerstocreate, enhanceanddeliverhighquality,evidence-based learningexperiences, withAlphaandBetatools attheforefrontof instructionalinnovation.
ASU establishes new Masters of Science in AI Engineering
OfferedthroughIraA FultonSchoolsof Engineering,studentscanpursueanMSin AIengineeringdesignedtoprepare graduatestobuildanddeployAIsystems acrossindustries Theprogramtrains studentstoapplyadvancedAIapproaches toengineeringchallenges,developingboth thetechnicalinsightandethicalperspective needed.
AIi
motion
Inno
ASU advances AIdriven innovation in first-year writing
ASU’snewAI-Informed WritingClassroomintegrates AIintofirst-yearwriting,trains facultywithexpertcolloquia andexploresethical, effectiveAIuse Launchedin January,itaimstoachievefull curriculumintegrationbyfall 2026,equippingstudents andinstructorswithskills forwritingandthinking alongsideAI
Source:ASUNews
AdvancingAI
ASU’s Hannah
Kerner named among world’s top AI innovators
KernerisadvancingAIto turndataintodecisionsthat helppeopleandtheplanet thrive Nameda2025 AI2050EarlyCareerFellow bySchmidtSciences,she joinsanelitegroupof scientistswhowilluse$18 millioninfundingtofurther researchsupportingfood securityandinformed environmentaldecisionmakingworldwide
Source:ASUNews
Major in motion
U S SpaceForceMaj TylerWilliamsispursuinga master’sincomputerengineeringatASU,researching agenticAIattheSTAMCenter.UsingtheArizonaCyber Range,hedevelopscollaborativeAIsystemsto strengthencyberdefense,bridgingmilitaryoperations andadvancedresearchtoprotectdefensenetworks
Source:ASUNews
AdvancingAI
From
code to care: ASU AI and robotics advancing human safety
RoboticsandAIaredrivingagrowingshareofASU’s expandingU S patentportfolio,ledbyYezhouYangand HamidMarvi.“Arobotisacombinationofintelligent,AI decision-makingtogetherwithnovelmechanicaldesign anditdoesn’thavetolookhumanoid,"saidYang."My researchservesasthebrainandeyesdrivingmany roboticdevices Hamid’sresearchcouplesthatwiththeir musclesandphysicalpresence ”
Source:ASUNews
AIadoption
ASU for Life turns AI into a personalized career engine
ASUforLifesimplifiescareergrowthby usingAIasapersonalizedguide.The platform’ssmartrecommenderanalyzes individualprofessionalgoalstocurate customlearningpathwaysfromacatalog ofhundredsofoptions Thistechnology empowersuserstodiscoverstackable microcredentialsandgraduate-level coursesthatalignperfectlywiththeir uniquecareertransitionsandaspirations asuforlife.asu.edu
Humble bee: AI-powered support for the world's beekeepers
Innovativeeducation
DegreeMe offers personalized AI recommendations
Choosingadegreeisoneofthemost importantandoverwhelmingdecisions studentsface Withhundredsof optionsandcountlesscareerpaths, manydon’tknowwheretobegin DegreeMechangesthat.Throughan AI-powereddiscoveryexperience, studentsexploretheirinterests, strengthsandgoals,unlocking personalizedASUprogrammatches
MonikaShukla,co-founderandCEOof HumbleBeeatBuzzworthyVentures,is usingAItoputexpertbeekeeping knowledgedirectlyinfarmers'hands,in theirownlanguage Fromavernacular speechbotthatanswersquestionsby dialecttocomputervisionmodelsthat diagnosehivediseasefromasingle photo,HumbleBeemakescomplex sciencesimpleandaccessible Monikais anhonoreeoftheWEEmpowerUN SDGChallenge,aglobalchallengefor womenentrepreneursjointlysupported bytheJulieAnnWrigleyGlobalFutures LaboratoryatASUandVitalVoices GlobalPartnership
Innovativeeducation
What honeybees teach us about smarter AI
Whatcansleepinghoneybeesteachus aboutAI?ASUresearchersaremodeling beebrainactivitytoreduce“catastrophic forgetting”anddevelopsmallerAIsystems thatcontinuouslylearnwithoutlosingprior knowledge
Source:ASUNews
MeettheSun DevilsdrivingAI innovationsatASU
Photosby: AlishaMendezandTabbsMosier
Writtenby: StephanieKing
KevinMonsen
Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
Kevin,afreshmanstudying computersciencewitha concentrationin cybersecurity,isdiving headfirstintothepossibilities ofartificialintelligenceasan AIScholaratASU Drawnbya communityofbuilders,he quicklymovedfromAItraining toexperimentationand creation,collaboratingwith fellowAIScholarsonanAIpoweredessayfeedbacktool duringarecenthackathon
Throughhands-ontraining andteamwork,Kevinis exploringarangeofindustry leadingtoolswhilelearning ethicaluseanddesignofAI
Forhim,theprogramisa launchpad:buildingrealskills, confidenceandmomentumfor anAI-shapedfuture.
“IfeelveryconfidentinmyASU education,”saidKevin “You're abletoseethatprofessorsand thefacultyatASUrecognize thatAIisfundamentally changingtheeducation system Theuniversityis movingquitequickly,launching newprogramsandnewclasses totryandadapttowardsthat change.”
AnitahMurungi
Thunderbird School of Global Management
Anitahisasecond-yearGlobalBusiness graduatestudentwhohasbeendeeply involvedinadvancingAIadoption throughherworkwiththeuniversity'sAI Accelerationteam
ThroughaMastercardFoundation–fundedgrant,Anitahhasbeenableto engagedirectlyinappliedAIwork, contributingtoreal-worldtoolsand institutionalsystems.
Shehelpsmanageone-on-one consultationsforfacultyandstaffwho areusingCreateAIBuilder,the university’sflagshipAItoolkit Through continuousfeedbackcollectionanduser research,Anitahhelpstobridgethegap betweenfacultyandemergingAIwhile identifyingwaystoimprovetheplatform.
Heraccomplishmentsincludepresenting attheuniversity'sAgenticAIandthe StudentExperiencesummitinOctober 2025,discussingtheimportanceof innovationandaccess
AsASUexploresagenticAIworkflows, Anitahisimmersedinhelpingshapehow thesetoolsareintroduced,understood andcontinuouslyimprovedacrossthe institution.“Partofmyroleistobridgethe gapbetweenthetechnicaland nontechnicalsideofAI,”saidAnitah,who isgraduatingthisMay
CreateAIisanAItoolkitbuiltbyASU,for ASU AsCreateAIgainsmomentumand scalestothousandsacrossthe university,Anitahnotedtheimportance ofcontinuousimprovement:“Aswe createprojects,weneedtomakesure that,attheveryend,theideasservewho wearebuildingthemfor”
AbrahamLozano Serna and MariamSerghat
Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering
AbrahamandMariamarebothpursuing theireducationatASUthroughtheIraA FultonSchoolsofEngineering Abrahamis workingtowardsamaster’sdegreein roboticsandautonomoussystemswhile Mariamisinherthirdyearasan undergraduateincomputerscience.
BotharestudentinternsontheAI Accelerationteamwhoaresupportinghow emergingAItechnologiesaredeveloped andusedacrosscampus;Abrahamfocuses onthetechnicaldesignwhileMariamtailors theuserexperience(UX)forAIsystems.
Together,theyaredevelopinganAIpoweredcompanionthatcreates personalizedstudyexperiencesby identifyingknowledgegapsandgenerating tailoredstudyplanstohelpstudentsprepare moreefficientlyforexams.
Danielle McNamara
Learning Engineering Institute
AdynamicforceinAIinnovation,2026ASU RegentsProfessorandexecutivedirectorof theLearningEngineeringInstitute,Danielle McNamara,isreimagininghowASUteaches andcreatesinanAI-poweredworld
Fromco-developingalearningdesignsuite towritinganalyticstoolkits,Danielle’swork sitsattheintersectionofPrincipled Innovation®andlearningengineering. Partneringcloselywithfacultyand institutionalleaders,sheisshaping strategiesthatpreparestudentsand educatorsforwriting,language developmentandmoreintheageofAI.
WhenaskedaboutthefutureofAI,Danielle notedwhatsheislookingforwardto:“Ithink therealpromiseisinAIorchestration Orchestratingthehumanintheloopandthe learningprocesssothatitincludesbothAIfacilitatedactivitiesandhumans.”
Hervisiongoesbeyondtoolstoconnect people,ideasandtechnology,whichwill unlockmoreadaptiveandpersonalized learning Theresult:studentswhothink critically,communicateclearlyandleverage AIconfidentlytocreate,exploreandlead.
JordanCoulston
John Shufeldt School of Medicine and Medical Engineering
Astheassistantdeanofclinical educationattheJohnShufeldtSchoolof MedicineandMedicalEngineering, JordanCoulstonishelpingreimagine howfuturephysicianspracticeclinical care WorkingwithASU’sAIAcceleration team,thegrouphasdevelopedasetof AI-poweredavatarsthatsimulate patient-providerinteractions.
Combininggenerative,multimodaland agenticAIcapabilities,thesystemis designedforfuturemedicalstudentsto askdiagnosticquestions,navigate
clinicalconversations,andreflectontheir decisions Eachsimulatedpatient representsauniquestoryandsetof symptoms,withavatarsdisplaying emotionalreactionsthatinclude confusionorfrustration Studentsreceive aninstantevaluationthatscoresacross 25customareas,includinghistory-taking, communication,andclinicalreasoning
Ratherthanreplacingbedsidelearning, Jordanseesthetechnologyasapowerful waytostrengthenmedicaltrainingand betterpreparestudentsforpatientcare “Whatwe'retryingtodoisbringalevelof precisiontopreparethelearnerforthe futurespace.”saidJordan.“TheseAI avatarsarereallythoughtofasawayto addvaluetothefutureexperience.”
OhadKadan W. P. Carey School of Business
OhadKadan,CharlesJ.Robel DeanandW P Carey
DistinguishedChairin Business,isdrivinga comprehensivestrategyto embedAIacrossfourkeyareas oftheschool:curriculum, teachingandlearning,thought leadership,andoperations
FromofferingthefirstMasterof ScienceinArtificialIntelligence inBusinessbyaUS business schooltoreinventing classroomexperienceswithAIpoweredtoolslikeCreateAI Builder,W.P.Careyispreparing students,faculty,andstaffto stayaheadofrapidchange
“Wesetagoaltobecomethe leaderamongbusiness schoolsinintegratingAI,while embracingthenewtechnology responsiblyandethically,”said Ohad
Hisapproachspansthought leadership positioning facultyasexpertsinbest practices andoperations, leveragingAItoenhance everythingfromadmissionsto careeroutcomes “UsingAIis partoftheworldrightnow We needtoadaptwhatweteach, howweteach,andthewaywe createknowledgeandbest practicesinthisevolving landscape ”
GilSpeyer
Research Technology Office, Knowledge Enterprise
Lastyear,ASUsurpassed$1billioninannual researchfunding,placingtheuniversity amongthetop4%ofresearchinstitutions nationwide GilSpeyerandtheteamat ResearchTechnologyOffice,partofASU KnowledgeEnterprise,playakeyrolein acceleratingresearchactivityacrossthe university
Thisteamprovidessupportacrossthe researchcycle–fromcreatingproposalsto planningforresearchneeds “Wearewith themallthewaythroughtotheaward,and thenprovideresearchinfrastructureand technicalsupport,”sharedGil
Whenaskedwhatsetstheuniversity’s researchresourcesapart,Gilpointsto ASU’sSolsupercomputer,oneofthetoprankedsupercomputersintheworld
NewlyincreasedAIcomputecapacityis drivingresearchcapabilities“byseveral timesover,”accordingtoGil Today,ASU researchersareacceleratingdiscoverywith supportoflarge-scaleandaccelerated computationacrossdomains from weathermodeling,computationalchemistry, andevenapplyingcomputationalresearch tofieldslikesupplychain,economicsand finance
“Wewanttobeattheforefrontofmaking cuttingedgetoolsavailabletohelpour researchersstaycompetitive,”saidGil.
JanelWhite-Taylor
Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation
JanelWhite-Taylorcurrentlyservesas theassociatedirectorofintelligent learningsystemsandaclinicalprofessor attheMaryLouFultonCollegefor TeachingandLearningInnovation
Sheandhercolleagueshavebeenusing CreateAI’sSyllabot,anAIchatbotthat helpsstudentsquicklyfindanswersto commoncoursequestions,forsix semestersinlarge-enrollmentcourses withhundredsofstudentsandmultiple instructors.
Theresultshavebeenencouraging Morethan88%ofstudentsused
Syllabotduringthesemester,often returningtoitrepeatedlyatkey moments:beforeexams,around assignmentdeadlinesandwhen planningtheircoursework.
Forinstructors,thetoolsavestimeand createsspacefordeeper conversationswithstudents For learners,itprovidesapersonalized 24/7resourcethatmeetsthemwhere theyare.
Onedesignprincipleisparticularly important:Syllabotdoesnotfabricate answers Whenitcannotrespond confidently,itdirectsstudentsbackto theirinstructor
Syllabotisoneexampleofthemany waysthatJanelandhercolleaguesare usingAIapproachestobestprepare studentstonavigatetheirownfutures
KyleJensen
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
AttheforefrontofAItransformation atASU,KyleJensenisbuildingthe infrastructuretohelpfacultyand studentsnavigatearapidlyevolving academiclandscape
Priortohiscurrentroleasassistant deanofAIandemergingdigital technologiesinTheCollege,Kyle wasthedirectorofwritingonthe Tempecampus,wherehehelpedto pioneergenerativeAIinwriting whichcontinuestoday
Now,heisleadinginitiativeslikethe AIAcademy,unitingfacultyacross TheCollege's18academicunitsto worktogethertocreatevaluable resourcesandpreparestudentsfor anAI-drivenfuture
Hisworkcenterson“creating healthierdialoguebetweenfaculty andstudentsbothfor,andwith,AI.” KyleiscurrentlyworkingonanAI feedbacktoolthatcollectsstudent insightsandsharesdataanalyzed withfacultyinrealtime,fostering communicationaboutlearning effectivenessandAIuse
HisapproachusesAItostrengthen trust,surfacechallengesand “collapsethedistance”thatAIand lackofcommunicationcancreatein theclassroom.Thisensuresthat technologyenhances,ratherthan disrupts,thelearningexperience.
ChristinaLeonard(left) andJuliaWallace(right).
ChristinaLeonard andJuliaWallace
JuliaWallaceandChristinaLeonardare catalyzingcriticalconversationsatthe intersectionofAIandtrustworthynews
InpartnershipwithKnightCenterforthe FutureofNewsatASU'sWalterCronkite SchoolofJournalismandMass CommunicationandASUNEWSWELL,they andtheircolleaguesconvenednearly200 US leadersinjournalism,technologyand educationfortheinauguralNational Journalism+AIAccelerator TheJanuary eventcreatedspaceforanin-depth exchangeonhowAIisimpactingcredibility, ethicsandstorytelling
Theirworkbringstogetherdiverse perspectivestosurfacenewideasand practicalapproaches,helpingjournalism navigaterapidtransformationintoanAIdriveninformationlandscape.
Builtby for ASU ASU
ReprintedwithpermissionfromASUNews
WrittenbyAnnieDavis
GraphicsbyHydeGroat,AlishaMendez
Frommedical trainingtofashion branding,CreateAI offerstheASU communityways tomakeAIwork forthem
AcrossArizonaStateUniversity, artificialintelligencehasmovedbeyond discussion Itisnowdesigned,tailored andactivatedbythepeoplewhorelyon iteveryday
ASUlaunchedCreateAIacrossthe universityin2025toplacecustom intelligencedirectlyinthehandsof facultyandstaff TheflagshipAItoolkit enablesuserstocraft,refineandshare experiencesalignedwiththeircourses, researchanddailyoperations.
Today,morethan20,000ASU employeeshaveaccesstoCreateAI, andtheyhavealreadycreatedover 7,000experiencesinsidetheplatform, fromsimulatedpatientsformedical trainingtoconversationallanguage tutors
ASUpositioneditselfasanearlyleader inAIinnovation,includingpartnerships withindustrygiantssuchasAmazon WebServicesandOpenAI Developing thein-housetoolfurtherhelpsthe universitymeetthedemandsofAIat scalewhileaddressingcost,privacy andcapability.
Faculty from fashion to biochemistry leverage CreateAI Builder
OneofthekeyfeaturesofCreateAIisaccess tomorethan50largelanguagemodelsthat powertheexperience,includingindustry leaderssuchasAWSNova,OpenAIGPTs, GoogleGemini,MetaLlamaandothers Ready-madetemplatesalsohelpfaculty customizetheiracademiccontent
Oneofthemostwidelyadoptedtemplatesis Syllabot,anAIchatbotthathelpsstudents quicklyfindanswerstocommoncourse questions,suchasduedates,assignments andgradingpolicies.Todate,therearenearly 1,000activeSyllabotsinuseatASU
Thissemester,morethan300W P Carey SchoolofBusinessfacultymemberswere trainedandempoweredtobuildtheirown Syllabotstoimplementinfuturecourses
“TherealityisthatAImustbeembeddedin everythingwedo,”saidOhadKadan,Charles J RobelDeanandW P CareyDistinguished ChairinBusiness “ToolslikeAIbotsarenot justconveniences theyaretransforming howweteach,learnandoperate By integratingAIintotheeducational experience,wearepreparingourstudents forabusinessworldwhereAIisubiquitous andessentialtohowworkgetsdone ”
OthernotableCreateAIBuilderexamplesare underwayacrosstheuniversity:
Mentorship
SteveSalik,aclinicalassociateprofessorin theMaryLouFultonCollegeforTeachingand LearningInnovation,isbuildingAImentorsfor hisstudents.Thesechatbotsareembeddedin hiscoursetoenablementor-likediscussions “Itcaststhestudentsintoaninternshiprole,” Saliksaid,addingthatthegoalistopractice theirprofessionalcommunicationskills.
Biochemistry research
NealWoodbury,vicepresidentatASU KnowledgeEnterprise,isusingCreateAI Builderinhisupper-levelbiochemistry course,taughtinTheCollegeofLiberalArts andSciences.Studentsdevelopedcodeto analyzelargedatasets Ultimately,they developedmodelstoidentifypotential proteinsiteslinkedtosideeffectsinwellknowncancertreatments
Fashion
NaomiEllis,picturedbelow, isaninstructor withASUFIDM,aschoolwithinthe HerbergerInstituteforDesignandtheArts StudentsenrolledinherAIinFashioncourse spendthesemesterbuildingtheirownAI experiences fromabrandbottoa sustainableshoppingguide Ellisnotesher goalistosupportAI-readygraduates.“This makesthemmorepreparedthananyother fashionstudent,”Ellissaid
NaomiEllis, instructorwithASU FIDM,aschoolwithin theHerberger InstituteforDesign andtheArts.
23,000
CreateAI impact CreateAI
Student engagement
8,000 20,200 5,200
1,200
DatacompiledinApril2026
Technical accounting writing assistant
AIwritingassistantthatprovidesreal-time, conversationalguidancetohelpstudents refinetheirtechnicalaccountingwritingand articulatecomplexideaseffectivelyThetool offersstructuredfeedback,suggestions,and guidedrevisiontips,helpingstudents producehigher-qualityworkandapply consistentwritingstandardsacrosscourses
Owner:MariaRykaczewski,SchoolofAccountancy
AI portfolio reviewer
Reviewingstudentportfoliosmanuallyis time-intensive.ThisAI-poweredreviewer evaluatesstudentportfoliosagainstrubrics andgeneratestructureevaluationoutputto supportfacultyreviewandprovidesa consistentfirstassessmentsofacultycan continuetoprovidetheirfeedback
Owner:BobbiWoods,UniversityCollege
APA citation reviewer
Check-in coach
Aninternalconversationalassistantthat guidesbothself-evaluationsandmanager evaluationsTheCheck-inCoachhelpsusers articulateachievements,clarifygoals,draft feedbackandpreparefordevelopment conversationsthroughanintuitive, conversationalflow.Atlaunch,over9,900 userspreparedforperformancecheck-ins withguidancefromCheck-inCoach.
ThisAIassistantisbeingdesignedtoprovide real-time,structuredfeedbackonAPA7th editionformattingbeforesubmissionThebot reviewscitations,referencesanddocument structure,guidingstudentsstep-by-stepto identifyandcorrectformattingerrorsThis approachbuildsstudentautonomyand reducesrelianceonfacultyoronlinereference tools
Owners:MatthewKeating,KimDay,DebbieHaglerandCelia Coochwytewa,EdsonCollegeofNursingandHealthInnovation
Owner:RenetteMakanoeich,OfficeofHumanResources
CreateAI Platform offers purpose-built AI experiences
TheCreateAIPlatformenablesteamsto designenterprise-levelAIsolutions For example,oneteamattheJohnShufeldt SchoolofMedicineandMedicalEngineering isdevelopingaseriesofAIavatars Jordan Coulston,assistantdeanofclinical education,ishelpingtoleadtheeffort “WeseeAIasatoolwecanusetoexpand theclinicaleducationofferedwithinour medicalschool,”Coulstonsaid.
TheAIavatarsaredesignedtosimulate patient-providerinteractions Anagentic workflowcalledCaseCreatorisusedtobuild thecomplexpatient-casescenarios,with multipleagentsworkinginsynctocreatea patient’smedicalbackground,current conditionandpreviousclinicalappointments
Onceapatientcaseiscreated,the teamusesmultimodalAIsystems acrossvideoandaudiotodevelop realisticavatarsthatsimulatestandard patientencounters,including emotionalresponses.Thesystemthen usesAItogenerateanevaluationthat scoresaninteractionacross25unique areas.
“Ourgoalistoleveragetheseavatars togiveusalevelofscale,”Coulston said.
On the horizon
Whatcomesnextmaybeevenmore ambitious.TheteambehindCreateAI the AIAccelerationteamwithinASUEnterprise Technology isdevelopingthebuilding blocksforapersonalizedAIexperience withasingleinterfacewhereastudent couldaskaboutanassignment,checkon financialaid,findcampushoursandemaila professor,allwithoutswitchingplatforms orstartingover
“The learner has a need, we prompt a patient into existence, and there they are, ready to help the student learn.”
Theavatarsofferrealistic patient-providersimulation designedthroughmultimodal andagenticAIcapabilities
ReprintedwithpermissionfromASUNews
WrittenbyMaryBethFaller
PhotosbySamanthaChow
ASUstudentscreate next-generationAI personasinnew coursewithwill.i.am
BlackEyedPeasfrontmanandtechinnovator partnerswithASU
DhruvPatel’sbuddyknowswhathe knows,shareshisperspectivesand evenmimicshisspeechpatterns.
That’sbecausePatelcreatedhisfriend, whoisnotahumanbutan“agenticself” anAIpersonathatnotonly ompletes tasksbutactuallyreflectsaperson’s values,voiceandgoals
“Iwantmyagenttobeariffingbuddyor afriendIcanbounceideasoffof,”said Patel,athird-yearcomputerscience studentatArizonaStateUniversity
“IwantittothinklikeIdo,butwithallthe computationalpowerandalltheother intellectualcapabilitiesthatIdon'thave behindit ”
ASUProfessorof Practicewill.i.amchats withbusinessstudents NoaCohen(left)and ShaynaIlyinskyduring abreakinthe“Agentic Self”courseatWilson HallinTempeonFeb. 18.Themusician,tech founderand philanthropist alternatesbetween TempeandLos Angeles—soevery week,halfthestudents seehiminperson,and theotherhalfseehim onavideostream.
PatelispartofanewASUclasscalled “TheAgenticSelf,”taughtbywill.i.am, themusician,techfounderand philanthropist.Nearly80studentsfrom awidevarietyofmajorsandagegroups aretakingtheclass inbothTempe andLosAngeles andlearninghowto createthesepersonalagents
ThefrontmanforthepopgroupBlack EyedPeasandaprofessorofpracticein TheGAMESchoolatASU,will i amsaid thatAIcancomputequicklybutstill requireshumaninput
“Agenticisthenextstep,wherethe agentisabletodotasksandworkflows onyourbehalf Yousetitonitscourse, anditwouldreason,research,browse, generate allautonomously,”hesaid
UnlikeChatGPTorClaudelarge languagemodels,wheredataisstored inapubliccloud,thestudents’agents areprivateandentirelytheirs The agentscanreason,adaptand accomplishcomplicatedtasks with minimalinputandwiththeintentionsof theircreators
will i amisthefounderandCEOof FYI.AI,anAI-poweredtechnology platformdesignedforcreativeteams headquarteredinLosAngeles The studentsintheAgenticSelfcourseare creatingtheiragentswiththeEDUFYI platform,acollaborationbetweenASU andFYI AI,andthecourseisatestcase fortheplatform.Eventually,EDU.FYIwill beavailabletoallfacultyandstudentsat ASUwiththegoalofbringingittoother educationalinstitutionsaswell
Thepartnershiphappenedafterwill.i.am metASUPresidentMichaelCrowlast year.
“PresidentCrowpitched,‘Hey,those agentsthatyou'rebuildingatFYI?What aboutbuildingthemforprofessorsand students?’Thatvisionisthereasonwhy I'mhere,”will i amsaid
TheuniversityhasembracedAI, exploringdifferentwaysitcanenhance learninganddiscovery In2024,ASU becamethefirstuniversitytopartner withOpenAIandlastyearexpandedthe collaborationtobringChatGPTEdu withGPT-5toeverystudent,faculty member,researcherandstaffmember atnocosttotheindividual Inaddition, ASUofferstwoundergraduateand10 graduatedegreesfocusingonAI, includingaone-of-a-kinddegreein artificialintelligenceengineering
will i amcallstheASUalliance“forever learning” awaytoequipstudentsin anymajorwiththeskillstheyneedfora worldpoweredbyAI
“It’samoralcompass thisurgencyto teach,inspire,encourage,mentorand motivatefolkstobuildethicalsystems thatreflectthemselves,”hesaid
Howdoyouequippeoplewithanagent whenthey'rebeingreplacedbyagents? Sonotonlycantheykeeptheirjob,but havetheabilitytoutilizethepowerof theirownagenttosolveproblemsand createjobsthemselves?”
PeterMurrieta,anEmmy-winning producerandinterimassociatedeanof theHerbergerInstituteforDesignand theArts,isoneofthreeASUprofessors whoarefacilitatingthecoursewith will i am Murrietasaidthatartists, includinghimself,arerightlysuspicious ofAIaftertheentertainmentindustry wasdisruptedbystreamingandsocial mediafortheprofitofcorporations
“Thisclassisaskingthequestion,before westartbuildingourownagents,‘What dowebelievein,whatdowecare about?Whatwouldwenevergiveup?’ Andtheideaofcreatinganagentfor yourselfwhereyouownallthematerials you'reputtingintothatagentmakesit mucheasiertomoveforwardinthe world,”saidMurrieta,whoisalsodeputy directoroftheSidneyPoitierNew AmericanFilmSchool
“AnythingItellit,Iown,andnobody’s scrapingandlearningoffofit Anditjust feelsliketheonlywaytomoveforward asanartist ”
ASUProfessorof Practicewill.i.am teachesat WilsonHallin TempeonFeb. 18.Themusician, techfounderand philanthropist alternates between classroomsin TempeandLos Angeles.
Learningfromanartist
Patelsaidheimmediatelyregistered whentheclassopened
“I'mamusician,andIgrewuponthe BlackEyedPeas,”hesaid
“It'sonethingtolearnagenticAIfroma computerscienceprofessortalking aboutallthecomponentsorthe hardwaresideofthings.It'sanother thingtolearnitfromthiscreativegenius whocanexplainittomeinawaythat onlyanartistcould.”
JeremiahHolland,agraduatestudentin ASU’sNarrativeandEmergingMedia programinLosAngeles,alsowas intriguedbytakingaclasswiththe famouswill i am
“ButwhatIreallylikeabouttheclassis thathe’steachingushowtouseAIto workonourbehalf,becauserightnow AIisownedbythebigcorporationsthat gettouseyourdataandyoudon’thave anysay.WiththisclassandwiththisAI system,thedataisunderourcontrol andwegettodecidehowit’sused,”said Holland,whoearnedaBachelorofFine Artsinfilmmediaproductionwithan emphasisinscreenwritingand producingfromthePoitierSchool
HehasusedotherAIchatbots,including ChatGPTandGemini,tohelpwithfactcheckingandgrammar
“WhenI’mwritingascript,ifI’mhavinga hardtimewithanideaorifI’mwritinga character,I’llask,‘Givemesomename suggestions,’”hesaid
“ButthisisthefirsttimeIgettobuildit fromthegroundupanddecidehowit thinksandhowIwantittohelpme Beingabletoseethebackendofhow thesesystemsarebuiltisonereasonI’m gladItookthiscourse.”
SeanHobson,chiefdesignofficerfor EdPlusatASUandaprofessorinthe MaryLouFultonCollegeforTeaching andLearningInnovation,isoneofthe coursefacilitatorsandhasbeenkeyin supportingthepartnershipwithwill.i.am.
“Workingalongsidewill.i.amandthe teamhasbeenoneofthemost creativelyexpansiveexperiencesofmy life,”Hobsonsaid “Hisvisionforwhat studentsneedandcanbecometothrive inthefuturepusheseveryonearound himtothinkdifferently
“Pairthatwithauniversitybuilttomove atthespeedofthemoment,andyouget somethingrare acoursewhere studentsaren’tjuststudyingthefuture, they’rebuildingit.Learningbydoing that’sthewholepoint ”
Developingwith ethicsinmind
TheEDUFYIplatformispoweredby Nvidia,whichhasdonated80graphics processingunitsforthestudentstouse Thebook-sizeddeviceskeepallthe students’contentprivate,soit’snot availableinthecloud
will i amalternatesvisitsbetweenthe Tempecampusandanewstate-of-theartclassroomhebuiltinhisLosAngeles studio soeveryweek,halfthe studentsseehiminperson,andthe otherhalfseehimonavideostream
AtarecentclassinTempe,thestudents sharedtheiragents’voices,andwill.i.am encouragedthemtotalkfreelywhen inputtingtheiraudio.
“Ifyou’rereadingwhenyou’retalkingto it,(youragent)isgoingtosoundlike you’rereading Ifyou’rejustmessing aroundwithyourfriends,havethem interviewyouorrecordapodcast,and talklikeyou’renaturallyhavinga passionateconversationaboutthe world,”hesaid
“That’swhenyou’retrulygoingtoget theagenttonotsoundrobotic.Because youdon’tshowuptotheworldreadinga script.”
Ethicaldesignisalsoapriorityofthe course
PavanTuraga,foundingdirectorand professorinTheGAMESchoolandone ofthecoursefacilitators,saidthe studentsareaskedtoimagineafuturein whicheverydayactivitieslikejob interviewswillrequireanagent
“Inthatfuture,theethicalconversations are,‘Whatareyouwillingtogiveyour agentasinformationaboutyourself? Andwhatareyounotwillingtogive?’ Becausewhoknowshowthatagentwill behaveafterthat?”Turagasaid
Crowwasaguestlectureratarecent class,andwill.i.amaskedhim:
“Thesestudentsareabouttodesign anddeployagentsinaworldwherethe government,thecorporations,therules, theethics,they’realllaggingbehindthe tech Whatisoneconcretedesign principleyouwouldaskeverystudent heretohardwireintotheiragenticself sothat10yearsfromnow,wecan honestlysaythesesystemsexpanded humanfreedom,creativityanddignity, insteadofjustoptimizingforprofitand control?”
Empathy,Crowsaid
“Theworstthingtobeisintelligentor intelligentlyenhancedandbewithout empathy Becauseyou’rethen consumedbyyourownself,yourown understanding,”Crowsaid.
Patelsaidonestudentrecentlyaskedif theagentsnowholdthesamebiasesas theirhumancreators
“Itwasagreatquestion,”Patelsaid “Morethanthetechpartofmakingthe agent,I’vebeenenjoyingthe philosophical,ethicalandmoral conversationswe’rehaving ”
Hollandrecommendsthatpeoplelearn alltheycanaboutthetechnology
“InsteadofbeingafraidofAIandwhat it’sgoingtodo,learnaboutitandlearn howitcanenhanceyoutogrowyour capabilities ”
Thecourseisplannedtobeoffered againinfuturesemesters.
ASUcomputer sciencejunior DhruvPatel(right) andProfessorof Practicewill.i.am chatduringabreak inthe“AgenticSelf” courseatWilson HallinTempeon Feb.18.
ArizonaStateUniversityiscontinuingthe legacyofscientist,conservationistand ethologistJaneGoodallbybringing decadesofresearchintothedigitalage usingAI.
InMarch2022,theJaneGoodallInstitute startedacollaborationwithASU primatologistIanGilbytohostover60 yearsofGomberesearchdataatthe InstituteofHumanOrigins
Now,ateamofASUfaculty,student researchersandAIengineersareexploring waystotransformthehandwrittenfieldnotes fromTanzaniaintosearchable,analyzable digitaldatafiles.Thiseffortwillcomplement andcontributetothenewGombeAIResearch Platform,underdevelopmentbytheJane GoodallInstitute
Translatingthedatafrompapersheetsto digitalrecords,however,hasprovedtimeintensive.That’swhereGilbyturnedtoASU EnterpriseTechnology’sAIAccelerationteam forsupport
Gombe AI: Acceleratingconservationresearch
Foroversixdecades,theteamattheJane GoodallInstitute’sGombeStreamResearch CenterinTanzaniahascollecteddailydata recordsonacheckbox-styledocumentcalled aTikisheet.Theresearchersfollowasingle, “focal”chimpanzeealldayandrecorddata pointsthatincludethearrivalanddeparture timesofotherchimpanzeesintothefocal chimpanzee’ssubgroup,feedingboutsand encounterswithotherspecies.
Overtheyears,hundredsofthousandsof recordshavebeencollectedandstoredinthe JaneGoodallInstitute'sGombeResearch
“There’salotofvaluetothese data Theyhelpusunderstand moreabouthumanoriginsand aboutthecomplexnatureof chimpanzeebehaviorand ecology Abetterunderstanding oftheirbiologyandbehaviorgives abetterchanceofprotectingthis iconicendangeredspecies ”
IanGilby,researchscientistattheInstituteof HumanOriginsandassociateprofessoratthe SchoolofHumanEvolutionandSocialChange
Heworkedtowardasolutionthatwould combinemachinelearningwithimaging techniquescalled“vision”toreview trackingsheetsandanalyzethedataon thepages.Theteamcoinedtheproject “GombeAI ”
TakingascannedimageoftheTikisheet, thecomputervisionsoftwarestraightens theimageandextractsthedatapoints. Thesoftwareisthenabletodigitizethe imageintosimplerowsandcolumnson Excelspreadsheets
Thesedatawillbeincorporatedintointothe project’srelationaldatabaseforanalysis
“WecombinedthistraditionalAItechnology withnewerlargelanguagemodelstoreview andanalyzethehandwrittennoteswrittenin themarginsonthesheets,”Gundusaid.
Gundudevelopedthecodeneededto extractdatafromtheTikisheets,datawhich studentresearcheranddatascience undergraduateJoeshJhajthentakesand focusesontheproject’sinterpretationand translation.
(Fromleft)ASU’sIanGilby, JoeshJhajandKrishna SriharshaGundureviewthe handwrittendatasheetsthat theyareworkingtodigitize usingAI.
“Computervisiontranslatesanimage thatthecomputercanthenpickupon,” Jhajsaid.“TheuseofgenerativeAIinthis projectistoreadandtranslatethe handwriting.”
BuildingonGundu’scomputer-vision preprocessing,Jhajwrotethe translationandinterpretationcodethat turnscontextualmarksintostructured researchdata,usingGPT’sAPItoverify unclearhandwritingorambiguous symbolswhenneeded
Afterthedataisdigitized,studentswho workwiththeGombechimpanzee archivewillcheckandcomparethe resultsagainsttheoriginalhandwritten datasheets.
Jhajisintheearlystagesofworkingwith thenewGombeAIsolution Theteam hopesthetoolwillimproveaccuracyin itsanalysesandbelesstime-consuming fordataentry Thetoolwillalsoenable researcherstomoreeffectivelyconnect, manageandupdatetheTikisheetdata withotherhandwrittenprotocols,video andgeospatialdatadigitizedaspartof theGombeAIResearchPlatform
“It’sawesometobeabletoworkwith teamsacrosstheuniversityanddevelop uniqueAIsolutionsthatadvance researchlikethis,”Gundusaid
How AI is changing college
Here’s how ASU is investing in artificial intelligence, from upskilling to student tutors. About this story
Written by Helen Rummel of The Arizona Republic.
Reprinted with permission from The Arizona Republic; edited for length.
Artificialintelligenceisthe“great equalizer,”inthewordsofASU PresidentMichaelCrow
Ithascompelledindustries, includinghighereducation,to adaptquicklytokeeppacewith itsrapidadvancement Overthe lastseveralyears,ASUhas launchedarangeofinitiativesto preparestudentsforanAI economy,usingnewtools, researchandcredentials designedtokeepthosealready intheworkforceuptodatewith thejobmarket.
ASUhascontributedhundreds ofmillionsofdollarsinthatwork, largelyfromresearchgrants Thatmoneysupportsstudieson medicine,educationand sustainability,amongother topics
Inaddition,ASUbeganaflagship partnershipwithOpenAIearly lastyear.Sincethen,the Universityhassupportedmore than500AIprojectsproposed byfacultyandstudents
ASUbringsAIcloser tostudents
Thisfall,Universityofficials announcedthateveryASU student,facultyandstaff memberwouldhaveaccessto OpenAI’sChatGPTEduwith GPT-5 ASUChiefInformation OfficerLevGonickdescribesthe effortas“democratizing innovation ”Freelicenses becameavailableatthestartof October
Theuniversity’spartnership ensuresthedatasharedwith ChatGPTisprivateandisnot usedfortrainingtheAI system Someofthe University’spastendeavors includea“LanguageBuddy” whichallowsstudentsto practicespeakingasecondor thirdlanguagewithanAI assistant Anotherallows healthsciencesstudentsto interactwithanAImodelthat mimicsrealpatient interactions
AnneJones,anASU professorandviceprovostfor undergraduateeducation, saystheUniversity’sgoalisto create“masterlearners,”and AIpushesthatmission forward.
“Itmakesitpossible forustomake educationmore accessibletoanyone qualified,”Jonessays ofASU’sAIexpansion. “We’regoingtouseit.”
JonessaystheUniversityis constantlylookingforwaysto bringotherfacultyand studentsintothepush forward.Thatincludes dozensofseminars,guides andanAIPlaygroundthat walksusersthrough everything,fromchatbotsto AIresearchtools
tomakeAImoresustainableisby providingtoolspeoplecanuseto comparetheexactenergyandcosts associatedwiththeirAIuse
overtime
arounddataentry,schedulingandcustomer service,accordingtoForbes nresponse,ASU haslaunchedaportfolioofprogramstohelp peopleinvulnerablesectorsgainnewAIskills desiredinamodernworkforce
waystoembracethesetechnological opportunities,”Crowsays “Becauseit maybethatthosecompaniescan’tthink aboutthatwhilethey’rebuildingallthese kindsofthings,butwecan.”
AIjourney
The startswith students
