AI makerspace provides opportunities to all

The Student Innovation Center's latest makerspace doesn't just provide opportunity to all faculty, staff and students on campus. Private and student technology fee funds ensure that Iowa State keeps pace with cutting-edge technology in the future. At first glance, the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Studio (open Monday 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.) appears to be a humble space on the third floor with laptops, whiteboards, and tables and chairs, but what is produced is anything but ordinary.

"Giving our students exposure to the power of AI is important. Because we support the entire university, this makerspace benefits everyone from researchers to students. We've had industry experts come to talk about the possibilities," said Student Innovation Center executive director Jim Oliver.

Tony and Neera Talbert's financial gift established the AI Innovation Studio Support Fund, which will help the studio (room 3112) keep pace with technological changes and provide impactful opportunities to campus. Tony, retired from IBM, earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from Iowa State and Neera is a Microsoft executive.

"This will allow us to have those technologies -- often the peripherals like Ray-Ban Meta Glasses -- that get our undergraduates excited and interested in AI, and it will help us pay for subscriptions to allow campus to work with these tools for free," said center associate director Abram Anders.

The makerspace

The ninth makerspace is equipped with tools that span the AI experience with three categories of programming:

• No-code tools: Anyone can use; examples include Microsoft Copilot or ChatGPT.
• Low-code tools: For those with some technical skill, but not well versed in coding. Users can create AI agents that reason, plan and act in a continuous loop until it completes a goal.
• Advanced tools: Those with strong AI skills who want to develop machine learning techniques or applications in domains like virtual reality.

The makerspace is divided into two computer zones: open and high-powered. The open zone has movable tables and chairs with laptops and iPads. The high-powered zone has a dedicated server and workstation. It contains all the tools for virtual reality, including glasses and goggles.

"The laptops are pre-logged into ChatGPT, image and video tools," Anders said. "It gives us a powerhouse where any AI application could happen."

Studio users are supported by three graduate research assistants -- two from the human computer interaction program and a computer science master's student -- with significant AI experience. Studio assistant Avnish Poonia said student projects ranged in skill and purpose this fall.

"A lot of the undergraduates have ideas, but they don't know how to implement those ideas," he said. "We help them use the tools and it allows them to visualize what they are seeing in their mind. It gives them a place to learn about a variety of AI techniques and develop a skillset that will benefit them after graduating."

Workshops and a competition

Studio staff offered several workshops this fall, and four more are scheduled during spring semester (workshops offered once each day).

• Art of prompting (Jan. 29-30): Learn how to create text, image and video using popular AI tools.
• Creating AI assistants (Feb. 4-5): Learn how to build an assistant with its own knowledge base.
• Vibe-making (Feb. 12-13): Sketch an idea for a product or object, turn it into a 3D image and make it into a printable 3D model.
• Vibe coding (Feb. 18-19): For non-coders or coders looking to upskill and produce portfolios and software application prototypes.

The workshops range from one to two hours and "allow any student to try out a tool and get a taste of what they will be encountering," Anders said. "They are especially useful for students who are not sure about AI because they are not coders. It is a great way for them to see how they can engage with it and use it."

Additionally, each workshop will be turned into a track for the second annual Applied AI Challenge, a competition in which students propose solutions to real-world challenges. The competition begins Friday, April 3, with development and concludes Friday, April 17, with proof of concept. No coding experience is needed to participate.

Supporting role in AI minor

Anders said the studio has a role in introducing students to AI and alleviating potential concerns about the technology. Iowa State offers an applied AI minor, available to all undergraduates regardless of major, that demonstrates to students how AI is integrated into a broad range of industries and the impact it has on individuals and communities.

"It's one of the first undergraduate AI minors in the country designed to prepare students from any major to apply AI tools in their fields," he said. "The studio provides integrated workshop support for students in the minor's core courses."