UCI Libraries’ Artificial Intelligence at UCI and Beyond exhibit is now on display in the Science Library. The exhibit is the first to be installed in the Science Library’s new exhibit space on the second floor.

The exhibit, which was curated by Computational Research Librarian Danielle Kane, features 60 items that spotlight artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives and research on the UCI campus. It also explores AI’s history and key technologies as well as major challenges raised by the widespread use of AI systems.

“I picked this topic because I’ve been very interested in artificial intelligence for a while now,” said Kane. “It’s a growing topic on campus, and I wanted to marry what’s happening on campus—what is sort of AI in a nutshell—with some of the things we’re doing in the library.” 

Kane, a certified Carpentries instructor, has more than 16 years of experience in applying new technologies and services. Kane received a master’s degree in library and information science and a bachelor’s degree in geoscience from the University of Arizona. 

Examples of material covered in the exhibit specific to UCI are ANTswers, a chatbot that responds to questions related to UCI Libraries, and Starship robots, autonomous robots used for food delivery at UCI.

The exhibit is divided into themed sections: Deep Learning; Artificial Intelligence; AI in Robotics; Machine Learning; Ethics, Diversity, and Inclusion in AI; AI in Law, Health, and Business; and Natural Language Processing.

Kane, who expressed that this was her first time curating a UCI Libraries exhibit, incorporated objects like books, images, and articles that call attention to AI studies and advancements. The exhibit also includes biographies of seven UCI faculty members working in the field.

“I enjoyed talking with the faculty and learning about their research. As a result, a number of items that ended up in the exhibit have been published by UCI faculty,” Kane said.

THE CURATION PROCESS

Kane explained that much of her interest in an AI exhibit started in 2013 and stemmed from her involvement with the development of the ANTswers chatbot.

In the process of programming ANTswers, Kane’s extensive engagement with natural language processing and the AI markup language (AIML) helped drive her interest as well as grow her knowledge in the AI field.

Kane, who worked on the exhibit materials over a period of six months, described the exhibit as experimental and unconventional for UCI Libraries.

“I was able to propose this because UCI Libraries developed our new exhibit space in the Science Library. Typically, our Langson Library exhibits focus on Special Collections & Archives materials and are a little more historical. This exhibit is more of a mix of what’s happening on campus today. Including what we’re doing in the UCI Libraries is not something we typically feature in one of our exhibits,” Kane said.

VISITOR INFORMATION

Visitors can view the Artificial Intelligence at UCI and Beyond exhibit on the Science Library’s second floor during regular library hours until February 2023. See the UCI Libraries website for Science Library hours, and visit Parking Services for a campus map and visitor parking permit.