George Mason University to establish nation's first AI innovation center for small businesses with $1 million grant

In a groundbreaking effort to strengthen the economic competitiveness of small businesses across Virginia, George Mason University has been awarded a $1 million grant to establish the nation’s first AI Innovation Center for Economic Competitiveness (CAIIEC).

JP Singh: Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy at the local level. Photo credit: Ron Aila/University Branding Office

This pioneering effort aims to position Virginia at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption among small and medium-sized businesses, which often miss out on discussions of AI advancements from the federal government and big tech companies.

The $1 million grant, sponsored by Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, will be provided through the U.S. Small Business Administration. The center will draw expertise from several schools at George Mason University, including the Shah School of Policy and Government, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, and the School of Engineering and Computing.

“Small businesses are the backbone of the U.S. economy at the local level. We will work with small businesses to strengthen AI adoption efforts across Virginia and learn from global examples such as Germany, where renowned small businesses are referred to as hidden champions,” said JP Singh, distinguished professor and lead researcher at the Shah School.

“I'm thrilled that George Mason's Center for AI Innovation for Economic Competitiveness will receive $1 million in federal funding, and I'm proud to have helped secure it in the recent federal funding bill,” said Senator Kaine. “This will enable small businesses and Virginians to take advantage of AI, leading to new opportunities for economic growth and jobs in our state.”

This new center promises to provide these companies with much-needed leadership, support and training to ensure they do not get left behind in the rapidly evolving AI environment. George Mason University's interdisciplinary team of computer scientists, public policy experts, economists, environmental scientists, medical scientists and ethicists is uniquely positioned to drive this effort.

“I am proud to have helped secure funding for George Mason University's AI Innovation Center for Economic Competitiveness,” Senator Warner said in a statement. “This investment will help position Virginia as a leader in AI development by creating programs to help small businesses and communities thrive in the digital marketplace, and will be a major win for Virginians across our state.”

The university has long been a leader in AI research, and the center aims to extend this expertise beyond academia and have a tangible impact on local businesses.

Amarda Shehu: This is very much needed to better position the industry in an innovative and competitive environment. Photo courtesy of the University Branding Office

“This is another great example of George Mason University partnering with diverse communities in new and innovative ways to continue its commitment to access and community-engaged technology,” said Andre Marshall, vice chancellor for Research, Innovation and Economic Impact. “What better way to support the local and national economy broadly by equipping small businesses with disruptive technologies and best practices that will shape our future?”

The center will train George Mason University students and encourage them to work for small businesses in Virginia, Singh added, emphasizing the educational aspect of the effort.

Co-lead investigator Amarda Shehu, a professor in the Department of Computer Science and a longtime AI researcher, emphasized the practical benefits the center will bring.

“As an AI researcher, I see firsthand how quickly AI is evolving,” says Sheff, who is also associate dean for AI Innovation in the School of Engineering and Computing and vice president for research at George Mason University's Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA). Through his various interactions with industry, he also knows that this pace can be challenging, especially for small and medium-sized businesses. So he wondered how research-1 universities, such as George Mason University, can unleash the power of AI for small and medium-sized businesses.

This center will do that, she said.

In keeping with the rapidly changing AI technologies and regulatory requirements, she said, the centre will develop an AI toolkit to enable small and medium-sized enterprises to capture and operationalize the value of AI for their enterprises, which is much needed to better position the industry in an innovative and competitive environment.

The center is a collaboration between the Shah School, IDIA, the Institute of Philosophy and Public Policy, and the Center for Regional Analysis (CRA). The four organizations will leverage existing collaborations to jointly oversee and manage the project.

Project leaders include Singh, co-director of the Center for Advancing Human-Machine Partnerships at George Mason University and Richard von Weizker Research Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin, Sheff, CRA Director Terry Clower, Schar School Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Grants Hisashi Koizumi, and Jesse Kirkpatrick, research associate professor and co-director of Mason's Center for Autonomy and Robotics.

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