In this Q&A featured on unc.edu, Vice Chancellor for Research Penny Gordon-Larsen talks about how the University is harnessing artificial intelligence for the public good.
This feature corresponds with UNC-Chapel Hill’s AI for Public Good Conference on April 13. Register to join leading researchers, industry innovators, policymakers, and practitioners for a one-day gathering focused on how AI can be responsibly designed, governed, and deployed to advance societal well-being.
At UNC-Chapel Hill, artificial intelligence is not just an emerging technology — it is a catalyst for how Carolina will accelerate discovery and deliver on our public mission. Research sits at the heart of this effort. AI is a central component of Carolina’s Research Roadmap, the University’s strategic research plan.
Vice Chancellor for Research Penny Gordon-Larsen is leading the University’s work to build an ecosystem where AI is embedded into the core of our research enterprise. Carolina is developing the infrastructure, partnerships, governance and interdisciplinary collaboration needed to harness AI for public good. This moment requires bold vision and responsible stewardship. We talked to Gordon-Larsen about how Carolina is stepping forward with both.
AI isn’t a new concept for Carolina researchers. How is Carolina positioned as a leader in AI research — and what makes our approach distinctive?
The most pressing challenges demand research that cuts across disciplines — no single field can meet this moment alone. AI is a powerful tool that can boost interdisciplinary collaborations by accelerating the discovery process to meet those challenges. Carolina brings together exceptional clinicians, researchers, rich data resources and advanced computing to use AI for the public good. From revolutionizing cancer treatment and drug discovery to deploying crisis communication chatbots and predicting impacts of severe weather events, our researchers are applying AI to solve real-world problems.
Carolina has built an integrated data and analytic ecosystem that’s rare among research universities. For example, the Renaissance Computing Institute provides secure platforms and cloud systems that enable cross-disciplinary AI collaboration. Through the de-identified Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership Research Data Repository and Secure Health Informatics Research Environment platforms, our researchers have access to over 3 million de-identified patient records with privacy-focused AI tools. Our Research Data Management Core is breaking down data silos to unlock institutional intelligence in new ways. The Sheps Center for Health Services Research offers some of the richest Medicare data in the country. And Azure cloud computing gives our teams the power to tackle massive computational problems. The Center for Artificial Intelligence and Public Health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health brings together AI leaders and domain experts to collaborate on real-world challenges, while the Odum Institute and RENCI offer courses spanning AI and deep learning, machine learning, natural language processing and Python-based deep learning.
You mentioned embracing AI and other new technologies in your January blog, and applying AI to benefit and save lives is part of the Strategic Research Roadmap. Why is AI an important part of that vision?
AI has the potential to transform the very process of discovery. It helps us identify patterns across vast datasets, simulate and test interventions rapidly, and accelerate breakthroughs in ways that traditional methods simply cannot match. When pursued with rigor and intention, AI enables us to unlock solutions previously out of reach, strengthen the rigor of our findings and accelerate the path from discovery to impact.
Importantly, AI also reflects our values: excellence and rigor, collaboration, innovation, integrity, respect and responsibility. When used thoughtfully, AI becomes a tool for bringing lifesaving research and meaningful insights to the people who need them most.
AI research at Carolina
See how researchers are working across disciplines to use the technology for the greater good.
A lot of people have hesitations about AI, but our research has shown potential benefits and practical applications. How do Carolina researchers navigate that?
AI accelerates research discovery across all disciplines while also demanding new scholarship on privacy, transparency and trust. Carolina researchers are leading both, advancing AI-enabled breakthroughs across sciences, humanities and arts while conducting the research that shapes national AI ethics and governance.
Our faculty develop frameworks for algorithmic fairness across wide-ranging applications, create privacy-preserving methods enabling research from health data to cultural archives, and establish governance models that balance innovation with protection. This research directly informs federal policy, corporate AI development and institutional standards worldwide.
How do you see Carolina continuing to innovate with artificial intelligence?
We’re entering a new era where AI will be woven into the fabric of how we teach, learn and discover. In the years ahead, I see Carolina leading in several ways, namely pioneering new AI-driven discoveries in disease, patient care and public health, accelerating the path from insight to impact and tapping into data-rich fields across all disciplines. Those range from molecular biology to medieval history.
I see our work setting national standards for ethical, responsible AI, influencing policy and governance far beyond our campus. It’s important we build shared platforms and secure data ecosystems, allowing discovery and ideas to move faster and collaboration to flourish.
Lastly, training AI-ready leaders through hands-on research experience is of great importance. For example, Carolina students work in labs equipped with robotic automation, AI-powered imaging and analytical platforms, machine learning pipelines and advanced computational tools, building the technical literacy required to thrive in an AI-shaped economy.
Carolina has always been a place where transformative research meets public purpose. AI is simply the next chapter of that story. Used wisely, AI will help us deliver on our mission to improve lives across North Carolina and around the world.