Appreciating the Potential of AI

There are a number of misconceptions about artificial intelligence (AI), but the one that Mohammed Alam finds most concerning is when people believe AI needs to be like human intelligence. That misunderstanding can become a roadblock in the field's growth and potential. 

"While human intelligence is a fine goal to attain, I think that trying to understand and envision AI purely in terms of it runs the risk of imposing arbitrary constraints on imagination and limiting exploration of what may be possible," he said. 

Alam brings that desire to explore all that AI can do for Northwestern Engineering's Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence (MSAI) program, where he was recently hired as the program’s deputy director and assistant professor of instruction. In his role, Alam will identify opportunities to further strengthen the curriculum so students can have a tailored educational experience and practical training that allows them to apply or further develop the technology with maximum impact. 

Alam will teach Intro to Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and a seminar titled AI Perspective: Symbolic Reasoning to Deep Learning. He also will serve as an adviser to MSAI students. 

"AI has already touched many aspects of our lives, often chugging along hidden under the hood of systems we interact with," he said. "I think it goes without saying that it will continue to be integrated into our lives at both an individual and a collective level."  

Alam earned his PhD in computer science from Northwestern before joining the MSAI program. Prior to that, he spent 10 years working at Motorola.  

Alam was drawn to MSAI because the program delivers the core knowledge and skills needed to pursue a career in AI while letting students pick electives based on their goals and ambitions. He also is excited by the cohort system of the program that provides students with a "mini ecosystem" to collaborate and support one another during and after their time in MSAI.  

The combination of peer support and faculty expertise sets students up for success in an ever evolving field, he said.  

"It seems very useful, if not necessary, for everybody to know and understand the capabilities of this fast-growing technology and how it can shape our future,” Alam said. "MSAI students have decided to be at the forefront of it all, and I, along with everybody involved with MSAI, wish to prepare them to succeed in AI, be it as an engineer, a researcher, a business decision maker, an entrepreneur, or in any other capacity."