August 20, 2024
Grand Rapids Community College continues to be a leader in artificial intelligence (AI) education as a proud co-sponsor of Friday@Confluence on September 20. The event runs from 7-10 p.m. at the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM).
This free event is open to people of all ages who want to get hands-on with AI. Jonnathan Resendiz, faculty director, plans to have attendees interact with AI through art as a way to demystify the technology (click on the image with this story to see an example of AI at work).
“We will have iPads on hand so that people can play around with several AI applications,“ Resendiz said. “You will be able to provide text prompts and the system will produce a drawing. But you will also be able to feed a rough drawing into the system and have it enhanced with the help of AI tools. For example, a simple face might turn into an anime drawing with hair, eyes and more filled in.”
Resendiz hopes to provide a bit of education while people have fun with the AI experience.
“We’re showcasing how art and language can be combined with AI,” Resendiz said. “People are apprehensive about AI, but we want to demonstrate how AI helps speed up manual processes so that humans have more time for creative, thoughtful work. Hopefully this experience will demystify the process while allowing participants to see the cool part of how AI works."
Kristi Haik, dean of the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, notes that the Friday event and the inclusion of AI are both new to Confluence.
“We are thrilled to introduce a hands-on AI event to Confluence attendees,” Haik said. “We want to expose people of all ages to the transformational power of this technology. These might be current students, or they might be local business professionals who are charged with leveraging AI for their companies.”
GRCC is also a program partner of the MakerExpo, which will be open to the public at Rosa Parks Circle on Saturday, September 21. The MakerExpo is a diverse showcase of tech enthusiasts, artists, crafters and engineers who create amazing things in the spirit of DIY. More than a dozen makers from across the Midwest will share their work and experimentation across the spectrum of art, science and engineering.
Learn more about GRCC’s artificial intelligence certificate. You can also find more details about the Confluence Festival and Friday@Confluence online.
This story was reported by Julie Hordyk.