Best of CASE District VIII Award
 

Institution: University of Washington

Title of entry: How AI Is Changing the World

About this entry: There’s little doubt that the artificial intelligence found in chatbots such as ChatGPT and Google’s Bard will significantly change the world. It’s already causing a tidal shift in the U.S. economy. But despite all the hype, it’s still unclear exactly how AI will affect the average person’s daily life.

Many researchers at the University of Washington have been studying AI for years. To help a general audience understand AI’s public impact, Sarah McQuate and Stefan Milne from UW News conducted four Q&As with UW researchers from a variety of backgrounds: computer science, information science and electrical engineering. These stories discussed how AI could help people be more empathetic about mental health, the energy costs of running large AI models, and how chatbots are already affecting K-12 and higher education.

Because UW News intended to both educate the public and generate media coverage, Milne collaborated with the UW News videographer and social media team to create short video clips for the two stories about AI and education. The team shared these clips on social media and with local media around the start of the school year.

In total, the four Q&As resulted in media coverage in 10 local and national outlets including Scientific American, GeekWire and local NPR affiliate KUOW. These Q&As showcased the UW’s broad expertise about one of the most transformative technologies in recent history. They also furthered the UW president's goal to be "the number-one public university in terms of impact."