Rhode Island hopes putting artificial intelligence lab in library will expand AI's reach

Artificial intelligence laboratories have been cropping up with increasing frequency on campuses in recent years. By and large, though, these labs have been located in computer science or electrical engineering buildings, providing a space for researchers and graduate students to develop computer algorithms that can learn or exhibit intelligent behavior. The University of Rhode Island is taking a very different approach with its new AI lab, which may be the first in the U.S. to be located in a university library. For URI, the library location is key, as officials hope that by putting the lab in a shared central place, they can bring awareness of AI to a wider swath of the university's faculty and student body. "When you have an AI lab in a specific college, the impression is that access is only for students of that college," said Karim Boughida, dean of libraries at the University of Rhode Island.