UMD Smith and Deloitte Launch Initiative to Expand AI Study and Outreach Opportunities

COLLEGE PARK, Md., Sept. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland (UMD) has joined Deloitte to launch the Deloitte Initiative for AI and Learning (DIAL), an artificial intelligence (AI) research initiative to help expand learning and development opportunities for faculty and students across the university's various colleges. 

UMD, Maryland's flagship educational institution, is a recognized leader in AI, data analytics and research. This new initiative leverages Deloitte's experience as a leader in AI-enabled services and solutions for private and public sector clients.

DIAL will be based within UMD's Robert H. Smith School of Business and will build upon previous Deloitte and Smith collaborations, such as the Smith Analytics Consortium. Funding for DIAL was provided by the Deloitte AI Institute for Government.

"The DIAL program enables Smith and Deloitte to continue their critical collaborations at the forefront of cutting-edge research and emerging technology," said Wedad Elmaghraby, Dean's Professor of Operations Management at UMD's Robert H. Smith School of Business. "This includes partnering with local industry and federal partners to drive innovation for the public good, creatively pushing our students to embrace analytics challenges in new and unexplored areas of importance and investing in our understanding of ethical, trustworthy artificial intelligence to further its potential promise."

The Deloitte AI Institute for Government serves as Deloitte's hub for innovative perspectives, collaboration and research on AI and related technologies in the public sector. Through publications, events, workshops and collaborations like DIAL, the Institute helps government agencies use AI ethically to deliver better services, improve operations and facilitate economic growth.

Recent research from the Deloitte AI Institute for Government found that while government agencies and public sector organizations are beginning to use AI, many still need to build suitable AI governance structures, confront evolving security challenges, and identify impactful applications for this new technology. Through DIAL, Deloitte and UMD will collaborate on various activities to dive deeper into these and other critical issues to help public sector leaders more effectively manage and realize AI's full potential.

"As the volume of available data grows, so too does the government's need for technologies and policies that can generate valuable insights from it," said Darren Schneider, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP. "Alongside our longstanding work with the University of Maryland, DIAL will help provide policymakers, industry leaders, researchers and the broader public with a deeper understanding of artificial intelligence."

The DIAL program will focus on:

• AI Ethics and Trustworthy AI: Furthering the adoption and development of ethical safeguards for privacy, fairness and transparency to protect against negative impacts of algorithmic bias and other AI risks.
  
  
• AI at Scale: Helping government agencies address and remove the barriers to implement AI and advance administration priorities with AI at the enterprise level.
  
  
• AI for Equity: Supporting the government's use of ethical and trustworthy AI to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
  
  
• AI-Human Interaction: Improving AI-human interaction and collaboration as well as human perceptions of AI, whether among organizational leadership and the workforce or end users and citizens.

Additional information on DIAL is forthcoming via Smith's Centers and Initiatives homepage.

The Robert H. Smith School of Business is an internationally recognized leader in management education and research. One of 12 colleges and schools at the University of Maryland, College Park, the Smith School offers undergraduate, full-time and flex MBA, executive MBA, online MBA, business master's, PhD and executive education programs, as well as outreach services to the corporate community. The school offers its degree, custom and certification programs in learning locations in North America and Asia.

Founded in 1856 as the Maryland Agricultural College, the University of Maryland (UMD) is the state's flagship university and one of the original land-grant institutions in America. As a member of the Association of American Universities, the Big Ten Conference, the Coalition for College and the Common App, UMD is consistently recognized as one of the preeminent public research universities in the United States. Our students are fearless innovators, entrepreneurs, creators and doers. Our faculty includes Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prize winners, members of the national academies and scores of Fulbright scholars, making UMD a global leader in research, entrepreneurship and innovation.

Deloitte provides industry-leading audit, consulting, tax and advisory services to many of the world's most admired brands, including nearly 90% of the Fortune 500® and more than 7,000 private companies. Our people come together for the greater good and work across the industry sectors that drive and shape today's marketplace — delivering measurable and lasting results that help reinforce public trust in our capital markets, inspire clients to see challenges as opportunities to transform and thrive, and help lead the way toward a stronger economy and a healthier society. Deloitte is proud to be part of the largest global professional services network serving our clients in the markets that are most important to them. Building on more than 175 years of service, our network of member firms spans more than 150 countries and territories. Learn how Deloitte's more than 345,000 people worldwide connect for impact at www.deloitte.com.

Contact: Greg Muraski at [email protected]

SOURCE University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business