Modern machine learning techniques have ushered in a new era of computing. Instead of following an explicitly provided set of instructions, computers can now learn from data and subsequently make predictions. Recent approaches have unlocked new capabilities across an expanse of applications, including computer graphics, computer vision, natural language processing, recommendation engines, speech recognition, and models for understanding complex biological, physical, and computational systems.
UChicago CS studies all levels of machine learning and artificial intelligence, from theoretical foundations to applications in climate, data analysis, graphics, healthcare, networks, security, social sciences, and interdisciplinary scientific discovery. Researchers explore the next generation of learning methods, including machine teaching, human-centered AI, and applications in language, image processing, and scientific discovery. With colleagues across the UChicago campus, the department also examines the considerable societal impacts and ethical questions of AI and machine learning, to ensure that the potential benefits of these approaches are not outweighed by their risks.