AI Center Opening at MDCStrategic partnerships with industry giants like Microsoft, Intel, and IBM have led to the Center's conception and vision

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MDC will inaugurate its Artificial Intelligence (AI) Center at North Campus, a state-of-the-art facility designed to prepare tomorrow’s AI workforce, upskill existing professional and elevate AI awareness in Miami through classes, workshops, lectures, and other activations. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20.

The more than 13,000-squarefoot facility will serve as the epicenter for all activities, engagement, curriculum, interaction and software that is produced to support MDC’s growth as a leader in applied AI. Its conception and vision are the product of a strategic partnership with industry giants like Microsoft, Intel and IBM.

Upon entering the AI Center, visitors are greeted by a holographic concierge powered by IBM’s Watson AI software that assists with directions and provide information. A hub for creative interdisciplinary approaches, hosting laboratories, research and collaborative projects with industry, the AI Center has dedicated classrooms, quantum computing labs, multi-use spaces and a design-thinking room. In addition, a robotics lab and a fully equipped makers lab facilitate taking an AI project from concept to prototype.

The opening of MDC’s AI Center was spurred by a growing demand –– the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that 513,000 new jobs will be created in the artificial intelligence field by 2029. These jobs include occupations like software developer, machine learning engineer and robotics scientist in industries such as health care, manufacturing, cybersecurity, retail construction, supply chain management, business information technology, education and transportation.

The College allocated five million dollars for the construction of the AI Center and has received several grants from the Knight Foundation, National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA), among others, to finance the creation of degrees and professional development opportunities in AI.

The funding has supported several existing initiatives that will be now incorporated in the AI Center, including:

  • Development of Certificates, Associate and Bachelor degrees in applied AI in collaboration with an industry advisory committee composed of national AI experts
  • Implementation of AI4ALL College Pathways, a nationwide initiative to expose every MDC student and faculty to AI regardless of discipline
  • Free of charge community education on the latest AI trends and practices via a monthly AI Speaker Series
  • Hosting of AI high school programs to introduce the next generation to AI, like the Mark Cuban Foundation AI Bootcamp
  • Partnership with Intel AI for Workforce Program to train faculty and incorporate Intel’s expertise in AI into the curriculum.

AI has been fully embraced by the MDC community with more than 500 faculty participating in the “Leveraging AI to Advance Student Success” workshop and other professors completing training in Applied AI and even creating projects utilizing AI. Student participation is also on the rise with 90% of partakers being minorities (71% identifying as Hispanic and 19% as Black). In addition, the President’s Innovation Fund 2022 recognizes faculty projects that apply AI or AI tools in an innovative way to enhance teaching and learning. The Fund recently awarded $100,000 to ten projects from various disciplines for the implementation of their AI solutions at MDC. View the list of projects awarded here.

Learn more about MDC’s AI Center at: https://www.mdc.edu/aicenter/