By: Sarah Grace Hutchinson
On September 22nd, 2023, the DMC welcomed Austin Eovito, a DMC alum, to host a discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Eovito works for the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) as a Data Scientist, specifically working for IBM’s Data and Artificial Intelligence Business Unit.
Eovito hosted a casual discussion and Q&A about the rise of Artificial Intelligence. With AI continuing to gain traction, its correct application and use are important. Utilizing his education and experience with AI, he talked with current DMC researchers about the proper usage of AI and how to appropriately reap the benefits. He also willingly answered any questions that the attendees had for him about AI, the work he does at IBM, and how he reached his level of success.
Eovito asked attending researchers questions about AI and their perceptions of how AI will transform their fields. He informed the attendees that AI will continue to be used in business and many other industries going forward, how AI has reached his field, and how it impacts the work that he does. Additionally, he asked about their use of AI in their day-to-day lives and how they were currently using AI in their work at the DMC. He encouraged attendees to think critically, asking them to question why they use AI the way they do, and what AI could do for them. He urged the researchers to consider using AI more but to always be mindful of proper usage as they had previously discussed.
Eovito also spoke on having the right mindset to gain success. He motivated the interns to think about what kind of mindset they currently have, and how they could improve this mindset if they would like to move up in their industry and reach their goals. For example, he emphasized the importance of being inquisitive and told attendees to take advantage of the incredible assets that surround them. He explained that professors are experts, and it is a privilege to have them as resources. Attendees were encouraged to go speak with these professors while they have them at their disposal, even if they do not know them, to ask them questions.
Attendee Shane Dabney, the DMC’s manager of its housing affordability initiative, added that Eovito “encouraged everyone to learn to be comfortable asking dumb questions, being okay with sounding uninformed, and recognizing that this kind of humility is the only way to learn.” Eovito stressed that this kind of attitude led him to success, even more than any specific skill or ability.
DMC research director Dr. Crystal Taylor spoke on how she felt Eovitio impacted the interns who attended. She said that his words helped them “to dream big and apply their skills to tackle real-world problems in a practical way…he brought in a futurist flame.”
Thank you Austin Eovito for hosting this discussion! We hope everyone who attended enjoyed learning more about the rise of AI and felt inspired by Eovito’s motivations.
