LAS launches new interdisciplinary initiative on trustworthy AI
LAS launches new interdisciplinary initiative on trustworthy AI
Publish Date: 2026-05-26 10:37:00
Source Domain: news.las.iastate.edu
Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days whether we recognize it or not – literally. How many of us have been duped by thinking a video or photo is real, only to find out that it’s AI-generated? Or we ask Google a question and get an AI response and wonder, “Should I trust that answer or keep looking?”
Faculty in Iowa State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) are at the forefront of the AI technical revolution, developing computer solutions, quantifying the statistical certainty of AI outputs, and exploring ways for AI to enable new inventions and innovations.
Importantly, LAS scholars and researchers are also studying the ethical implications and trustworthiness of AI, which helped to inspire a new initiative called Trusted Innovation in AI.
Applying unique LAS strengths to AI
The Trusted Innovation in AI initiative primarily focuses on research that builds on LAS’ strengths in trustworthy, ethical, and interdisciplinary AI. The college is also exploring broader AI efforts, including integrating AI into curricula and establishing policies on how to implement AI in the classroom.
“Our faculty in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences are uniquely positioned to lead research on trustworthiness in artificial intelligence because they build from a perspective that the challenge of generative AI is not solely technical — it is fundamentally human,” said Benjamin Withers, dean of LAS. “Our strengths across the humanities, social sciences, mathematics, and natural sciences allow us to examine AI through the lenses of ethics, communication, policy, human behavior, and scientific rigor simultaneously. By bringing these disciplines together, we can help ensure that AI systems are not only innovative, but transparent, accountable, and worthy of public trust.”
Within the Iowa State University AI ecosystem, LAS scholars contribute expertise in developing computing solutions, quantifying the statistical certainty of AI…
