UC Merced Magazine | Volume XX, Issue VI

ONLINE-ONLY CONTENT: California has problems. AI can help solve them.

As AI gets faster, better and easier to use, UC faculty are putting it to use to solve some of the biggest problems facing California, including spotting and responding to wildfires before they spread out of control.

Since the University of California’s earliest days, its researchers have put their expertise and combined years of study to the tasks at hand. But even the nimblest human brain can only crunch so many numbers in a day. That’s where AI comes in. It can sift through massive troves of data, picking out patterns and making predictions that put vital insights within reach. As AI becomes more powerful and easier to use, UC researchers are finding ways to integrate these emerging technologies into their work, shortening the distance to solutions that benefit every Californian. Across science, medicine and engineering, as well as humanities and the law, UC researchers, including many

from UC Merced, are showing how AI can amplify human potential, rather than substitute it, and enhance our creativity and capacity for innovation. From preventing homelessness and spotting wildfires to early identification of Alzheimer's disease, UC writer Julia Busiek describes how as AI gets faster, better and easier to use, faculty are using it to solve some of California’s biggest problems.

Read the story online.

25

UC MERCED MAGAZINE // ucmerced.edu