Discover AI in Action at The U

AI is helping elevate nursing education by streamlining academic support and improving student learning outcomes. Assistant Professor Chris Macintosh uses AI tools to enhance writing feedback, strengthen evidence-based practice skills, simplify statistical concepts, and support job-search preparation. The approach reduces faculty workload while giving students more organized, accessible guidance. The result is clearer writing, stronger statistical confidence, and better preparation for professional nursing practice—showing how AI can enhance, not replace, the human connection in teaching and learning.

GARDE-Chat is an AI-powered, no-code platform that enables researchers to build chatbot-based digital health interventions at scale. Developed by Professors Guilherme Del Fiol and Ken Kawamoto, the tool supports rule-based and LLM-driven chatbots and has already powered more than 15 projects—including large trials reaching up to 100,000 patients. By improving access to evidence-based services and helping secure over $35 million in federal funding, GARDE-Chat demonstrates how AI can make healthcare interventions more scalable, effective, and widely accessible.

Chad McDonald and Matt Davis, Research Associate Professors at the University of Utah, have developed Virtual Motivational Interviewing (VMI), an AI- and VR-powered training tool within the Virtual Skills & Workforce Trainer (VSWT) platform. VMI provides social workers with repeated, realistic practice using AI-generated scenarios and a chatbot that simulates clients, offers feedback, and supports skill development in motivational interviewing. Modeled after Duolingo’s scaffolded learning approach, the platform delivers thousands of varied practice interactions efficiently. Early research shows the tool is well-received and performs as effectively as traditional training methods.

A new course, AI Prompting for Strategic Communication (COMM 3580), prepares emerging communicators to work confidently and responsibly with artificial intelligence. Taught by Professor Andy J. King, the class gives students hands-on experience with AI tools that streamline workflows, enhance creativity, and support real-world communication tasks. Alongside practical skills, students also explore ethical considerations and the limits of AI in professional settings.

This story highlights how the Marriott Library used AI to improve student employee staffing in interlibrary loan services. By analyzing historical request data and generating predictive heatmaps, Acquisitions Supervisor Annelise Nicholes Xiao aligned student schedules with actual demand—reducing idle time, improving service quality, and creating a more stable work environment. The project shows how predictive AI can streamline operations and elevate the student and patron experience, with further applications already underway.

At the University of Utah’s Utah NeuroRobotics Lab, artificial intelligence is driving breakthrough research in bionic technology. Led by Jacob A. George, the team develops AI-powered prosthetic and assistive devices that restore movement and sensation for individuals with neuromuscular impairments. Their work blends engineering, medicine, and machine learning to create intuitive, life-changing technologies—many of which have already produced compelling patient outcomes and inspired new startup ventures. Through deep interdisciplinary collaboration, the lab is shaping the future of bionics and redefining what’s possible in assistive healthcare.

At University Connected Learning, artificial intelligence is helping streamline communication between systems that traditionally don’t work well together. Program Coordinator Taber Tang used AI to automate the once time-intensive process of creating Outlook events for classes—reducing the workload from two to three full days to just three hours. This efficiency not only saves significant staff time but also minimizes errors and allows the team to focus on more meaningful work.

A multidisciplinary team at the University of Utah is using artificial intelligence and computer vision to develop advanced imaging biomarkers that enhance cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment planning. Led by Beatrice Knudsen, one key research direction focuses on creating computational tissue biomarkers, while the broader team integrates histopathology, radiology, and clinical data into multi-modal algorithms. Supported by major federal grants and cross-department collaboration, this work is advancing precision cancer care and generating impactful publications and training opportunities.

University of Utah Department of Internal Medicine Research Associate Professor George G. Vega Yon and his software development team use agentic AI as a human-guided co-developer to accelerate CDC-funded public health projects. AI assists with coding, testing, and rapid prototyping while researchers remain fully in the loop, enabling faster responses to real-world needs such as measles outbreak modeling.

The University of Utah College of Law is using AI to enhance its online visual storytelling. Communications Manager Lindsay Wilcox uses Photoshop’s Generative Expand tool to intelligently extend student and faculty photos so they fit website banner dimensions without distortion. This AI-assisted process streamlines content creation, improves the look and consistency of profile pages, and helps the college present a more polished, welcoming online presence. Contributors include Lindsay Wilcox, Henry Randolph, and Jonelle White.

At the University of Utah College of Social Work, AI-powered Adobe tools are being used to significantly improve the quality and efficiency of audio editing for marketing materials. Jennifer Nozawa, Senior Manager of Marketing & Communications, uses these tools to quickly enhance clarity and consistency in recordings, reducing manual effort and producing professional-grade sound. With IT approval ensuring proper use, this initiative showcases how AI can streamline communications workflows and elevate the impact of marketing content in higher education.

Artificial intelligence is helping reshape how responsible leadership is taught at the University of Utah. Dr. Quentin T. Baldwin integrates AI tools to enhance personalized learning, accelerate research, and support more meaningful student engagement. From adaptive U-Bots that connect lessons to current events, to AI-assisted feedback and critical thinking exercises, these tools allow him to meet students where they are—promoting both equity and academic excellence. Rather than replacing the human element, AI serves as a partner that streamlines preparation, enriches discussion, and frees time for deeper mentorship.

At the University of Utah’s English Language Institute, AI helped streamline the complex task of creating a compliant course schedule that fits the university’s standard time blocks. Designated School Official Kirsten MacQuillin used iterative AI prompts to generate and refine multiple schedule options, ensuring accurate instructional hours and better alignment with campus systems. The result is a more efficient, compliant schedule that simplifies coordination and demonstrates how AI can enhance—not replace—administrative decision-making.

AI is transforming multilingual education at the University of Utah, where faculty and graduate students are using innovative tools to create more inclusive and culturally responsive classrooms. Through new teacher-training courses and collaborative projects with bilingual students, Assistant Professor Tuba Yilmaz and her team demonstrate how AI can empower educators to support learners from diverse language backgrounds—without needing to speak every language themselves. Their work shows how technology can strengthen cultural understanding, build social connections, and promote educational equity across classrooms and communities.

A student-led approach is redefining how AI can support learning in higher education. Kefa Akuki, a political science major at the University of Utah, teaches peers to use AI as a partner rather than a shortcut—starting with their own research and outlines, then using AI for tasks like formatting, organizing citations, and refining structure. The approach helps students stay engaged, avoid plagiarism, and focus on understanding their coursework. With more confidence and stronger study habits, students produce clearer, more thoughtful assignments. Used intentionally, AI becomes a tool that enhances learning while supporting academic integrity.

As AI becomes more integrated into classrooms worldwide, University of Utah educators Randall Davis and Rus Wilson are helping reframe the conversation. At the TESOL Ecuador Conference, they shared how AI is transforming—not replacing—the essential human work of teaching, and what skills educators will need moving forward.

Exploring how AI-powered prompt engineering can streamline curriculum mapping and assessment alignment. This study by faculty in the College of Pharmacy demonstrates how ChatGPT can reduce review time, improve consistency, and support accreditation efforts while maintaining faculty oversight.

Brandon Patterson’s project explores how AI-powered tools can support scholarly writing and research while addressing critical limitations in transparency and reproducibility. The study highlights top-performing tools, their role in academic workflows, and the importance of AI literacy for ethical integration.

At the University of Utah, we are embracing artificial intelligence not as a distant future, but as a practical, everyday partner in improving how we work. Across campus, teams are finding ways to use AI to reduce administrative overhead, strengthen decision-making, and create more connected, responsive systems.

Discover how the University of Utah is using artificial intelligence to help students make more confident academic and career decisions. Associate Professor Jim Agutter introduces UGuide, an AI-powered advising tool that personalizes major exploration, connects students with mentors, and supports their path to graduation.

Jess Tate of the SCI Institute shares about the National Data Platform (NDP), an NSF-funded collaboration designed to transform how researchers access, share, and analyze data. By connecting data sources, tools, and compute resources in a federated ecosystem, NDP makes data more findable, accessible, interoperable, and reproducible (FAIR)—advancing collaborative, scalable, and trustworthy science.