NRT-AI: AWARE-AI: AWAREness for Sensing Humans Responsibly with AI

基于传感的人工智能(AI)系统使用从人类收集的信息来做出预测，并在许多应用中响应人类。随着这些系统变得更加广泛，巨大的研究挑战正在出现。这些人工智能系统必须做出负责任和灵活的反应，尊重多样性和隐私，并实现可信，以避免在更大的社会规模上出现意想不到的后果。为了应对这些挑战，需要弥合与人工智能相关的研究生教育项目中的差距，以创建一条不断增长和可持续的管道，培养全面发展的人工智能科学家和工程师，他们了解这项技术的软件、硬件、人机交互和人类认知方面，以及伦理考虑。为了确保人工智能技术经过良好设计，以提高所有公民的生产率、福利和安全，建立一支包容性的研究队伍也是至关重要的。这项授予罗切斯特理工学院的国家科学基金会研究培训(NRT)奖将为不同的学生群体提供独特的培训，他们的成员将成为未来开发负责任的、人类感知的人工智能技术的研究领导者。该项目预计将培训75名硕士和博士生，其中包括25名资助的实习生，他们来自计算机和信息科学、工程、数学、心理学和成像科学。Aware-AI NRT项目将提高美国在人工智能领域的竞争力，通过为聋哑人、女性、非裔美国人、拉丁裔/a美国人和美国原住民学生提供资助的培训机会，提高美国在人工智能领域的竞争力并帮助发展多样化的劳动力队伍。Aware-AI NRT项目包括融合研究和教育经验的结合，以支持学员实现几个学习成果：(A)人类感知人工智能系统的跨学科广度，(B)相关科学和技术技能的深度，(C)高级研究实践的深度，以及(D)整体多样性和包容性能力。创新的教育特色包括访问以促进受训者与少数群体服务机构之间的早期联系、关于高级研究实践的圆桌会议、数据集开发、实验室轮换、国家实验室和行业实习、种子资助项目以及多样性和包容性讲习班。学员将在与使用启发领域相关的四个研究轨道上促进人类感知人工智能的科学知识：(1)用于灵活处理多模式繁重输入的算法和软件，以增强交互系统；(2)人-机器人协作和高效的人工智能技术，以改善制造环境中的人类信任、安全和舒适性；(3)为研究不足的听力损失老年人设计可用和可访问的基于人工智能的系统的方法；以及(4)将认知研究扩展到服务不足的人群，以获得广泛催化人类感知的人工智能的发现。外部计划评估、传播开源培训材料和结果以及用于研究和教学的人类感知人工智能数据集的新数据库将刺激汇聚研究，并支持在其他机构复制有效的计划要素。NSF研究培训(NRT)计划旨在鼓励开发和实施大胆的、具有潜在变革意义的STEM研究生教育培训模式。该计划致力于通过创新的、基于证据的、与不断变化的劳动力和研究需求保持一致的综合实习生模式，在高度优先的跨学科或趋同研究领域对STEM研究生进行有效培训。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Sensing-based artificial intelligence (AI) systems use information gathered from humans to make predictions and respond to humans in numerous applications. As these systems become more widespread, enormous research challenges are emerging. These AI systems must react responsibly and flexibly, respect diversity and privacy, and achieve trustworthiness to avoid unintended consequences at a larger societal scale. To address these challenges, gaps in graduate education programs related to AI will need to be bridged to create a growing and sustainable pipeline of well-rounded AI scientists and engineers who understand software, hardware, human-computer interaction, and human cognitive aspects of this technology, as well as ethical considerations. To ensure AI technology is well-designed to improve all citizens' productivity, welfare, and safety, it is also vital to build an inclusive research workforce. This National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT) award to the Rochester Institute of Technology will provide unique training to a diverse student body, whose members will be future research leaders in developing responsible, human-aware AI technologies. The project anticipates training 75 master’s and Ph.D. students, including 25 funded trainees, from computing and information sciences, engineering, mathematics, psychology, and imaging science. The Awareness for Sensing Humans Responsibly with AI (AWARE-AI) NRT project will enhance U.S. competitiveness in AI and help develop a diverse workforce by providing funded traineeships to Deaf and Hard of Hearing, female, African American, Latino/a American, and Native American students.The AWARE-AI NRT project includes the combination of convergent research and educational experiences to support trainees in achieving several learning outcomes: (a) cross-disciplinary breadth in human-sensing AI systems, (b) depth in relevant science and technology skills, (c) depth in advanced research practices, and (d) holistic diversity and inclusion competency. Innovative educational features include visits to facilitate early connections between trainees and minority-serving institutions, roundtables on advanced research practices, dataset development, lab rotations, national lab and industry internships, seed-funded projects, and diversity and inclusion workshops. Trainees will advance scientific knowledge in human-sensing AI across four research tracks linked to use-inspired areas: (1) algorithms and software for the flexible processing of multimodal-heavy input to enhance interaction systems, (2) human-robot collaboration and efficient AI technology to improve human trust, safety, and comfort in manufacturing contexts, (3) design methods for usable and accessible AI-based systems for understudied older adults with hearing loss, and (4) extension of cognition research to underserved populations for discoveries that broadly catalyze human-aware AI. External program evaluation, dissemination of open-source training materials and findings, and a new database of human-sensing AI datasets for research and teaching will stimulate convergent research and support replication of effective program elements at other institutions. The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program is designed to encourage the development and implementation of bold, new potentially transformative models for STEM graduate education training. The program is dedicated to effective training of STEM graduate students in high priority interdisciplinary or convergent research areas through comprehensive traineeship models that are innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with changing workforce and research needs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.