Michael Littman, a professor of computer science, was named the inaugural Associate Provost for Artificial Intelligence at Tuesday’s faculty meeting.
Littman will serve as an administrative leader for artificial intelligence, developing institutional policy and priorities on AI. A search for this new position was announced to faculty in late August for a three-year appointment.
In addition to his professorship, Littman is co-director of Brown’s Humanity Centered Robotics Initiative and serves as the Division Director for Information and Intelligent Systems at the National Science Foundation.
“Michael brings to this role a strong legacy of work in AI, including education and interdisciplinary research, but he’s also become a leading spokesperson in the field,” University Provost Frank Doyle said at the meeting.
“I’ve been carrying out AI research and teaching AI for decades and I was very excited when I got word that the Provost was planning to create a university-wide position to coordinate AI efforts,” Littman wrote in an email to The Herald.
According to his website, Littman believes that public engagement with artificial intelligence and computing is key to a healthy society.
“It’s really important to me that Brown make appropriate use of AI, which I see as being discerning between beneficial and risky scenarios,” he wrote in an email to The Herald.
Despite the seriousness of the issue, he typically takes a “lighthearted approach to science communication, using parody songs and humor to connect with the sense of playfulness that is essential to creative problem solving,” his website reads.
Littman is also an author. His book, “Code to Joy: Why Everyone Should Learn a Little Programming” was published last year.
He previously served as the chair of the computer science department at Rutgers university.
“I hope you all share my excitement about what Michael will be able to do to work with us, to pull the campus together and understand in a responsible way how we navigate these waters with the exciting possibilities that AI offers for research, for teaching, and for operations at the university,” Doyle said.
“I’m very passionate about communicating about AI and computing,” Littman wrote. “But I also know that creative people across campus have been coming up with ingenious ways of using AI in their work and I look forward to listening to what’s working, what’s not, and sharing great ideas.”
The University announced the appointment in a Today@Brown message early Wednesday morning.
Cate Latimer is a senior staff writer covering faculty and higher education. She is from Portland, OR, and studies English and Urban Studies. In her free time, you can find her playing ultimate frisbee or rewatching episodes of Parks and Rec.
