The world of artificial intelligence seems to involve more drama today than a daytime soap opera. The unexpected ouster of OpenAI executive Sam Altman by the company’s board of directors — followed by Altman’s equally surprising return — is one such example. Global worries about autonomous drones being able to carry out military strikes absent a final human order, which is technically already possible, is another.
Enter the steadying voice of Charles Isbell Jr., a nationally recognized expert in computing and AI who started work this summer at the UW–Madison as its latest provost.