Conference: NAIRR Pilot Expansion: FA1: Democratizing AI Training and Access Statewide

The University of Kentucky (UK) Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence (CAAI) initiative democratizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) training and access statewide for Kentucky’s geographically isolated and underserved researchers. In partnership with the Council for Postsecondary Education and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, CAAI conducts workshops across Kentucky bringing together subject matter experts, new and emerging researchers, and higher education and workforce entities to empower researchers to apply AI in their projects and access local and National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) Pilot cyberinfrastructure. The initiative prioritizes fostering innovation, supporting workforce development, improving research capacity, and advancing safe, secure, and trustworthy AI in research and society. This effort stimulates innovation in traditionally underserved regions by preparing participants with the skills needed to navigate the AI ecosystem, connect with national cyberinfrastructure, and develop transferable skills using production-grade tools. By focusing on tailored mentorship and practical learning pathways, the project supports NSF’s mission to promote the progress of science, advance national prosperity, and foster broader participation in AI research and innovation. The project conducts five AI workshops across Kentucky’s major geographic regions, training five hundred new and emerging researchers. These workshops combine foundational presentations with practical sessions providing guided use of AI models and computational tools. Trainings cover concepts such as large language models (LLMs), machine learning (ML), computer vision, multimodal models, and AI powered data science and analysis. Participants gain practical experience with AI tools that support model training, data analysis, and the application of AI techniques across various domains, including language, tabular, and timeseries models. The skills developed are readily transferable to NAIRR Pilot infrastructure, and participants receive guidance on navigating and submitting research requests for AI compute resources aligned with the NAIRR Pilot Program. Participants engage in exercises using online platforms, Jupyter notebooks, and workflows closely aligned with NAIRR Pilot supported technologies. Workshop content is tailored to participant experience levels and industry interests via pre-event surveys, breakout sessions, and optional technical tracks. After the workshops, continuous learning and connection to the Kentucky AI community is provided through online resources and ongoing communication, such as user guides, video tutorials, office hours, and online forums. Outcomes are assessed through interactive feedback mechanisms, follow up surveys, usage tracking of AI tools, and ongoing mentorship opportunities. This scalable, transferable training opportunity positions Kentucky as a model for other Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) targeted jurisdictions to leverage strategic investments in AI education and infrastructure. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.