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Building Trust in AI, One Block at a Time
A unique partnership is closing the digital divide by creating community-led AI literacy programs for underserved youth and families

Assistant Professor Stephanie Valencia² (center) shows the Spoken app, a commercial AAC tool to help users of speech-generating devices. Photo by Craig Taylor.
The AI That Tells a Joke With You
New research explores how AI can help speech-generating device users reclaim timely, humorous comments —without losing their own voic …

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WTOP News: Smarter Classrooms, Real Results: How AI is Rewriting the Rules of Education (ft. Charles Harry)
INFO's Charles Harry explores how AI transforms education, enhancing learning, student support, and ethical classroom practices

Nabintta Blé, InfoSci '18
Alumni Profile: The Creative Journey of Nabintta Blé
An InfoSci alum profile

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GBH News: With AI Common on Campus, Some Educators Are Leaning in (ft. Katie Shilton)
INFO’s Katie Shilton emphasizes AI tutors’ promise without replacing human teaching

Douglas Oard, a noted expert in information retrieval, has been at the University of Maryland since 1996 and has been an active member of UMIACS since 1998.
UMIACS: New Interim Dean Maintains Strong Ties to UMIACS
Douglas Oard, longtime INFO professor, named interim dean, emphasizes INFO–UMIACS collaboration driving interdisciplinary research

From leveraging AI for pedestrian safety to creating better touchscreen kiosks, the Maryland Initiative for Digital Accessibility brings together scientists across campus to transform existing and emerging tech for people with disabilities. (Illustration by iStock) Photo via Maryland Today.
Maryland Today: Making Tech Accessible—With Benefits for All
INFO faculty lead groundbreaking research to make kiosks, PDFs, AI, and everyday technologies accessible for all

Led by the University of Maryland, TRAILS was launched in May 2023 with a $20 million award from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The institute is focused on developing, building and modeling participatory research that—over time—will increase trust in AI. Illustration courtesy of TRAILS. Image via Maryland Today.
Maryland Today: $750K in Seed Grants Awarded by UMD-Led Coalition on Trustworthy AI
Six INFO faculty are among researchers awarded $750K+ in TRAILS funding to advance trustworthy, human-centered AI innovation

Working in the Small Artifacts (SMART) Lab, Assistant Professor of computer science Huaishu Peng (left) and doctoral students Zining Zhang (center) and Jiasheng Li discuss technology that can assist sight-impaired people. Photo by Mike Morgan Photography. Photo via Maryland Today.
Maryland Today: Blind People Struggle With Nonverbal Cues, A UMD-Cornell AI Project Could Help
INFO's Ge Gao is helping develop AI to assist blind professionals interpret nonverbal workplace cues