UB hosts leading international AI conference

One of the world’s most recognized scientific organizations dedicated to promoting artificial intelligence research — and its responsible use — gathered in Buffalo last week for an annual conference on the intersection of AI and the web.

The event — the 18th International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media — is one of the flagship conferences of the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. AAAI bills itself as the “premier scientific society dedicated to advancing the scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying thought and intelligent behavior and their embodiment in machines.”

More than 300 researchers and practitioners worldwide representing more than a dozen fields — including machine learning, psychology, political science, the humanities and more — attended the conference. Research and discussions focused on everything from the impact of Reddit on mental health to how white supremacist organizations use social media.

The mix of disciplines is intentional, says conference organizer Kenny Joseph, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

“The idea is to combine computational approaches with social science to tackle some of society’s most pressing questions about how social media use affects society,” says Joseph, who serves as associate director of AI and society in the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at UB. “At the same time, we’re improving our ability — using both advanced AI-driven tools and modern social theory — to analyze the vast and unstructured data available on social platforms.”

A. Erdem Sariyuce, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, also helped organize the conference.

Held at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, the conference provided UB the opportunity to spotlight its decadeslong leadership in AI research and education. This includes pioneering work creating the world’s first autonomous handwriting-recognition system, as well as current initiatives such as developing tools to curb deepfakes and ensure that children with speech and language disorders receive timely, effective assistance.

The conference coincides with UB playing an increasingly larger role — regionally, nationally and globally — pursuing AI for the social good. As a flagship university of New York State, UB is home to Empire AI, a $400 million statewide consortium and supercomputing center to be located on the North Campus that aims to make the state a national leader in AI research and innovation.