Learn About AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we work, learn, and innovate at the University of Miami. Learn about what AI is, the different types, factors to consider when using it, and more.


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What is AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the development of computer systems that perform tasks requiring human intelligence—such as learning, problem-solving, decision-making, and perception.

 

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Types of AI

These types of systems leverage algorithms and data to mimic human-like behavior and are applied in four key areas.

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Machine Learning (ML)

Learns from data to improve performance over time.

Examples:

  • Predictive analytics
  • Recommendation systems

Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Understands, interprets, and generates human language.

Examples:

  • Language translation
  • Sentiment analysis
  • Text summarization

Computer Vision

Interprets and understands visual data from images and videos.

Examples:

  • Image recognition
  • Object detection
  • Facial recognition

Robotics

Interacts with and controls physical devices, such as robots and drones.

Examples:

  • Industrial robots
  • Autonomous vehicles


Level Up Your AI Knowledge

LinkedIn Learning

Explore a wide range of self-paced courses for every level of experience designed to help you understand and apply AI in your work and daily life. These courses are available at no cost to the University of Miami community.

Sign in to LinkedIn Learning with your UM credentials to get started: Browse AI Courses on LinkedIn Learning

 

O’Reilly

Dive into a robust collection of AI and machine learning resources curated by industry experts. O’Reilly provides in-depth, technical content to help you build and advance your AI skills—available at no cost to the University of Miami community.

Sign in to O’Reilly with your UM credentials to get started: Browse AI & ML Resources on O’Reilly


What is Generative AI?

Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that creates new content—like images, text, music, or video—by learning patterns from existing data. Unlike traditional AI, which analyzes and processes data, generative AI produces original results based on what it has learned.

Some uses of generative AI include:

Scientific Hypothesis Generation
  • AI generates new scientific ideas for testing.
Synthetic Data Generation
  • Creates data for machine learning (ML) training when real data is limited.
Medical Imaging
  • Generates MRI/CT images for training and analysis.
Text Generation
  • Creates stories, dialogue, or summaries.
Video Generation
  • Develops new visual content like animations, scenes, or special effects.


Considerations and Risks

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Factual Errors

May generate inaccurate or misleading outputs.

Authenticity

Hard to distinguish AI-generated content from real content.

Bias

May reinforce harmful biases from training data.

Intellectual Property

Risks replicating copyrighted content.


Implement Your Own AI Solution

If you have an idea for using AI to improve workflows, enhance decision-making, or solve a problem, we encourage you to submit an AI Project Request form to connect with our experts, explore feasibility, and plan next steps. We'll guide you through discovery, resource planning, and implementation.


Frequently Asked Questions

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  • What is artificial intelligence (AI)?

    AI refers to systems and technologies that can analyze data, recognize patterns, and automate tasks to enhance productivity and decision-making.

  • How is AI used at the University of Miami?

    AI is being applied in research, administrative workflows, clinical care, and more. From automated data processing to intelligent tutoring systems, AI supports innovation across multiple disciplines.

  • Who can access AI tools at the University?

    AI tools are available to students, faculty, and staff. Some require approval based on usage needs and data security policies.

  • What is generative AI?

    Generative AI refers to a type of artificial intelligence that can generate new data that resembles a given set of training data. These systems can produce anything from images and music to texts and videos.

  • What are common use cases for generative AI?

    Common uses include generation of custom images, videos, text, and code. In addition, generative AI can augment data, create music, and even design a video game.

  • How does generative AI work?

    Most generative models, like Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs)* or Variational Autoencoders (VAEs), learn to represent the underlying patterns in the data they're trained on. They then use this learned representation to generate new, similar data.

    *A Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) is a type of neural network architecture where two networks, a generator and a discriminator, are trained together. The generator tries to produce fake data, while the discriminator attempts to distinguish between real and fake data. Over time, the generator improves its ability to generate convincing data.

  • Are the outputs from generative AI always unique?

    While generative AI aims to produce novel outputs, there's no guarantee that they are always unique. However, the vast potential output space means that there's a high likelihood of generating something different each time.

  • How does generative AI differ from traditional AI?

    While generative AI aims to produce novel outputs, there's no guarantee that they are always unique. However, the vast potential output space means that there's a high likelihood of generating something different each time.

  • How does generative AI differ from traditional AI?

    Traditional AI (often rule-based or supervised learning) typically requires explicit programming or labeled data to produce a specific output. In contrast, generative AI can produce new, previously unseen content based on patterns it has learned.

  • Is there any risk associated with using generative AI?

    Yes. There's the potential for misuse in generating misleading content, fake news, or deepfakes*.

    In addition, as shared by the University in May 2023, the generative AI tool ChatGPT is not HIPAA compliant, and the University does not permit its use with any patient data. OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, also warns against inputting confidential data into the platform, which could constitute a public disclosure and lead to a loss in our ability to protect University information, including intellectual property.

    Important: Copilot and Gemini are not HIPAA compliant yet. Copilot and Gemini unlocks generative AI for capabilities around asking questions and generating responses from the web. These services do, however, have some limitations, such as conducting custom searches within University of Miami firewalls. If you need any assistance around similar examples, or other potential use cases surrounding generative AI, please reach out to the Department of Data Science and Research Informatics at dsri@med.miami.edu or Academic Technologies at academictechnologies@miami.edu.

    *A deepfake is a synthetic media (typically video) in which a person's likeness is replaced with another's, making it appear that the person is saying or doing something they didn't. This is achieved using advanced generative AI techniques.

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