How to participate in UF’s AI Days, Oct. 28-30
Students, faculty, and staff are invited to participate in the University of Florida’s third annual AI Days from Oct. 28 to 30. AI Days are one component of UF’s larger push to engage the entire campus around AI and its potential and will include a number of immersive events. The event is free and open to the UF community and will be held in the Reitz Union Rion Ballroom.
“AI Days showcases the diversity of AI work being accomplished on the UF campus and brings together researchers and students to discuss what we are achieving now and what we can achieve in the future,” says David Reed, director of the AI2 Center, which hosts the event. “AI Days clearly shows that UF is making incredible strides using various AI technologies to solve real-world problems to benefit our state and nation.”
Gator Tank
Hosted by the Warrington College of Business, the pitch competition, called Gator Tank, is designed to help students launch and grow businesses that leverage AI.
The top four competition winners — those who represent the best potential for growth and for attracting outside financing — will receive up to $5,000 in Luby Microgrants from the Joan & Chester Luby Charitable Trust. The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center will offer mentoring and various other helpful resources along the way.
“The goal of Gator Tank is to provide student teams with the opportunity to pitch their AI ideas, receive advice and feedback from judges and mentors, and for a select few, win prize money to invest into the endeavor,” said Jamie Kraft, director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Center. “The hope is that we are creating the next generation of technical entrepreneurs who will develop solutions that will positively impact the world.”
Students, faculty and staff are invited to watch the pitch competition finalists and award celebration at 9:30 to 11 a.m. on Oct. 28 in the Reitz Union Rion Ballroom.
Gator Hack
The Gator Hack Competition is a 48-hour contest that provides an opportunity for all students to develop a solution with emphasis on AI in a multidisciplinary approach.
Starting on Oct. 25 at 5 p.m. in Little Hall room 0201, teams of students will be given a problem and data set and challenged to design and develop a solution to the problem. On Oct. 28, the students will assemble in the Rion Ballroom for the announcement of the winners.
Students will have a chance to win from multiple categories from the $3,500 prize pool.
Generative AI and Arts
Generative AI and the Arts Competition celebrates the intersection of creativity and technology through generative art, which uses algorithms and computational processes to produce innovative and dynamic artworks.
The top 20 submissions will be featured in a digital exhibition during AI Days, where the Audience Choice Award will be voted on by the UF community on Oct. 28 from 2:15 to 3:45 p.m.
This competition aims to celebrate the boundless possibilities of generative art and showcase the talents of students who harness the power of algorithms, code, and computational processes to create mesmerizing artworks.
Faculty panel discussions
Faculty across all disciplines lead discussions on AI in their respective fields in the Reitz Union Ballroom. Starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, presentations will be given on topics including sports, space, policy, and education and how AI has been influencing these areas.
Poster presentations
To highlight the incredibly diverse research using AI across campus, AI Days is featuring a poster presentation. All undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, staff, and faculty can present a poster. Presentations from any and all disciplines will be showcased, including posters on the pedagogy of AI in your discipline from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29.
Workforce development day
On Wednesday, Oct. 30, a workforce development day hosted by the Career Connections Center will begin at 11 a.m. in the Reitz Union Rion Ballroom to equip students for the AI-enabled workforce. The event includes panels on how to use AI to get a job with interview questions and improving their resumes. A mixer for students will follow the event with employer presence from companies like IBM, RTI Surgical, Sandvik, and Vobile