In 1984 interested researchers at the University of Georgia formed the Artificial Intelligence Research Group. The program has grown by leaps and bounds since. It was officially established as the Artificial Intelligence Center in 1995, and became part of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences in 2006. The AI Center became the Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IAI) in 2008. As a result of several months of study by a faculty working group, the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences approved a new dual reporting structure for IAI, effective July 1, 2024. This change reflects robust ambitions for new academic programs and cross-university research collaboration to advance AI across the university. The new structure reflects investment in and support for IAI designed to promote innovation and applications of AI in teaching, research, and outreach and to increase the institute’s and UGA’s leadership and recognition in this important area. The Institute is both a research and an instructional unit, and it administers the Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Science, the Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Artificial Intelligence. Institute faculty come from several departments and academic units at UGA, including Computer Science, Philosophy, Psychology, Linguistics, and Engineering. Over the years, the IAI has received funding for research from the National Science Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture, GlaxoSmithKline Research & Development Ltd., the Georgia Research Alliance, Centro Internacional por Agricultura Tropical, Clemson University, Medical College of Georgia, and the American Association for Artificial Intelligence. Currently IAI faculty and students are working with a variety of academic and industrial institutions on exciting research projects.
