Forward-Thinking Use of AI

Professor Sam Thangiah, who has been preparing SRU students to use AI for the last 35 years, explains the latest advances of this technology

rtificial intelligence is transforming the way the world works — and Slippery Rock University is ensuring its graduates are ready to lead that transformation. Few people understand AI and how students can leverage this emerging technology in their careers like Sam Thangiah, Ph.D., SRU professor of computing and security and director of the University’s Artificial Intelligence and Robotics Lab.

As director of the SRU’s AI and Robotics Lab, Thangiah teaches students how to implement AI models and other emerging skills that companies across all industries desire.

A member of the SRU faculty for 35 years, Thangiah has helped prepare students to understand AI and use tools and implement systems for decades, dating back to when SRU first offered an elective course on AI in 1991.

Thangiah has become a recognized expert in developing artificial intelligence algorithms to solve complex transportation problems, specifically vehicle routing and scheduling problems that have saved school districts up to 20% on their transportation costs through greater efficiency.

Defining AI

Thangiah said that most people think of ChatGPT when the topic of AI in the workplace comes up. While large language models can learn and adapt like humans, they are just only one small aspect of many other AI models, and they are neither creative nor innovative like humans.

“AI is best and most often used for solving unstructured problems,” Thangiah said. “Structured problems are when you go through a sequence of steps to solve it, and every time you give it an input, you’ll get the same output. AI is unstructured so that if you give an input, you could end up getting different outputs for the same input. Artificial intelligence algorithms should be capable of learning and adapting.”

Supporting faculty who equip students with the skills to lead in rapidly evolving fields.

Developing and using AI tools are part of a college education today because of their undeniable place in the jobs of tomorrow.

“AI isn’t just for coders or computing majors,” Thangiah said. “It’s impacting a large number of majors and professions.”

Examples include the banking industry using AI for detecting and preventing fraud and doctors using AI to read X-rays and scans to identify and diagnose health problems that they might have missed previously. One of the recent milestones in medical science involves protein folding, which is the process by which a protein chain twists into its correct 3-D shape so it can work properly. This application is important because misfolding can cause diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and cystic fibrosis.

Shifting Skills

Few people will be solving complex problems like protein folding, but nearly everyone in the workforce will be affected by AI, if they haven’t been already.

“AI is going to have a large impact on the workforce, because any job that is repetitive in nature is most probably going to get replaced by AI,” Thangiah said. “Everything from manufacturing to customer service, even to point to where there will be robots flipping burgers.”

That doesn’t mean opportunities are disappearing. Instead, they’re shifting toward higher-level work that requires creativity, critical thinking and the ability to build and manage intelligent systems. SRU’s curriculum reflects that reality by embedding AI methods and models into computer science, cybersecurity, information technology, and data analytics courses.

“Employers want graduates who can communicate, collaborate and innovate; it’s not just about knowing the theory,” Thangiah said. “Here at SRU, our students are learning how to implement AI models, work in teams and present their solutions. These are skills that make them stand out to companies looking for more than just academic knowledge.”

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