AI Research
MSU to launch AI initiative powered by Amazon Web Services
Mississippi State leads the SEC in adopting AWS technology to enhance student engagement
Contact: Sid Salter
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State University (MSU) has announced a groundbreaking campus-wide AI initiative, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), becoming the only university in Mississippi, and the first in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), to implement AWS’s artificial intelligence services to enhance engagement with prospective students, alumni, and supporters.
“As Mississippi’s leading research university, we take pride in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—along with high-performance computing, data science, cybersecurity studies, agriculture and forestry, and business,” said MSU President Mark E. Keenum. “From that standpoint, this exciting partnership with a world-class organization like AWS is a great fit for the MSU community.”
Using the Higher Education AI platform from Quintilian, Inc. powered by AWS, a leading education data and technology firm, MSU will leverage machine learning models that optimize MSU’s data to streamline key focus areas, such as student recruitment and engagement, alumni relations, communications, and university operations. The initiative will operate seamlessly within MSU’s existing systems.
“This is a bold step forward in how we connect with present and future Bulldogs,” said MSU Vice President for Strategic Communications Sid Salter. “Using AWS’s AI services, we can personalize and streamline the initial contacts and experiences with MSU and make sure that every prospective student and every member of our university community feels appreciated and understood from their very first interaction with MSU.”
MSU’s Initiative is centered around building a dynamic, AI-powered application to better understand prospective student behavior, preferences, and needs. This will enable MSU to deliver more timely, personalized, and impactful communications while expanding access to underrepresented populations.
This will also enhance the ongoing Mississippi State digital marketing awareness campaign being led by Ad5. Ad5 brings major market sophistication paired with a deep understanding of Southern markets, businesses, and, most importantly, Southern people. With insights from the AI services, Ad5 will be able to sharpen messaging, target key demographics more effectively, and elevate MSU’s presence in both traditional and emerging media spaces.
“This collaboration using the Quintilian systems to create an AI environment using Amazon Web Services AI services will allow MSU to elevate their engagement of a wide range of constituents to build stronger, more meaningful relationships. Every area of the university’s operations can benefit,” said Gavan Corr, founder of Quintilian.
As part of the Initiative, Quintilian will offer two paid internships to Mississippi State students—providing direct, real-world experience working with AI, data science, and cloud technologies in the higher education space.
“At MSU, innovation is in our DNA,” said Thomas Broadus, MSU’s Chief Marketing Officer. “This opportunity reflects MSU’s commitment to staying ahead of the curve and using the best technology available to serve students across Mississippi and beyond.”
The project, powered by AWS and informed by the expertise of Quintilian’s data science team, is expected to set a new standard for how higher education institutions approach digital engagement and recruitment—using data ethically, securely, and strategically.
About Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University is the state’s leading research university, recognized nationally for excellence in education, research, and outreach. Dedicated to innovation and access, MSU is shaping the future of higher education through technology, partnerships, and student-focused initiatives. MSU offers the SEC’s first Bachelor of Science degree in Artificial Intelligence and operates a high-performance computing lab supporting advanced research with one of the fastest (4th fastest) super computers in US Academia. Learn more at www.msstate.edu or follow @msstate on social media.
About Quintilian
Quintilian is an AI and data science company specializing in higher education solutions. Through its proprietary platform, the company helps colleges and universities improve student engagement, enrollment strategies, and operational effectiveness. Founded by experts with decades of experience at companies like Google, The New York Stock Exchange, and Goldman Sachs, Quintilian delivers AI-powered tools that enable institutions to make smarter, data-driven decisions in a secure and compliant environment. Quintilian’s data scientists and software engineers will partner with Mississippi State to develop these AI-driven solutions. Learn more at www.quintilian.ai.
About Amazon Web Services
Since 2006, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud. AWS has been continually expanding its services to support virtually any workload, and it now has more than 240 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, media, and application development, deployment, and management from 117 Availability Zones within 37 geographic regions, with announced plans for 13 more Availability Zones and four more AWS Regions in Chile, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud. Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—trust AWS to power their infrastructure, become more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit www.aws.amazon.com.
About Ad5
Ad5 is a full-service marketing and branding firm that combines big-market strategy with a deep understanding of Southern culture, business, and communities. With expertise in digital strategy, media, branding, and creative execution, Ad5 partners with clients across the Southeast to deliver data-driven and AI-powered media campaigns that connect authentically and perform powerfully. Known for its tailored approach and cultural insight, Ad5 helps organizations tell their stories in ways that resonate with real people—especially across the Southern region. Learn more at www.ad5partners.com.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters. Learn more at www.msstate.edu.
DULUTH, Minn. (Northern News Now) – A panel gathered at UMD’s Weber Music Hall Friday to discuss the future of higher education.
The conversation touched on heavy topics like artificial intelligence, rising tuition costs, and how to provide the best education possible for students.
Almost 100 people listened to conversations on the current climate of college campuses, including UMD Associate Dean of the Swenson College of Engineering and Science Erin Sheets.
“We’re in a unique and challenging time, with respect to the federal landscape and state landscape,” said Sheets.
The three panelists addressed current national changes, including rising tuition costs and budget cuts.
“That is going to be a structural shift we really are going to have to pay attention to, if we want to continue to commit for all students to have the opportunity to attend college,” said panelist and Managing Director of Waverly Foundation Lande Ajose.
Last year alone, the University of Minnesota system was hit with a 3% budget cut on top of a loss of $22 million in federal grants. This resulted in a 6.5% tuition increase for students.
Even with changing resources, the panel emphasized helping students prepare for the future, which they said includes the integration of AI.
“As students graduate, if they are not AI fluent, they are not competitive for jobs,” said panelist and University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham.
Research shows that the use of AI in the workplace has doubled in the last two years to 40%.
While AI continues to grow every day, both students and faculty are learning to use it and integrate it into their curriculum.
“These are tools, they are not a substitute for a human being. You still need the critical thinking, you need the ethical guidelines, even more so,” said Sheets.
Following the panel, UMD hosted a campus-wide celebration to mark the inauguration of Chancellor Charles Nies.
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AI Research
AI startup CEO who has hired several Meta engineers says: Reason AI researchers are leaving Meta is, as founder Mark Zuckerberg said, “Biggest risk is not taking …”
Shawn Shen, co-founder and CEO of the AI startup Memories.ai, has stated that some researchers are leaving Facebook-parent Meta due to frequent company reorganisations and a desire to take on bigger risks. Shen, who left Meta himself last year, notes that constant changes in managers and goals can be frustrating for researchers, leading them to seek opportunities at other companies and startups. Shen’s startup, which builds AI to understand visual data, recently announced a plan to offer up to $2 million compensation packages to researchers from top tech companies. Memories.ai has already hired Chi-Hao Wu, a former Meta research scientist, as its chief AI officer. Shen also referenced a statement from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg who earlier said that the “the biggest risk is not taking any risks.”
What startup CEO Shen said about AI researchers leaving Meta
In an interview with Business Insider, Shen said: “Meta is constantly doing reorganizations. Your manager and your goals can change every few months. For some researchers, it can be really frustrating and feel like a waste of time. So yes, I think that’s a driver for people to leave Meta and join other companies, especially startups.There’s other reasons people might leave. I think the biggest one is what Mark (Zuckerberg) has said: ‘In an age that’s evolving so fast, the biggest risk is not taking any risks. So why not do that and potentially change the world as part of a trillion-dollar company?’We have already hired Eddy Wu, our Chief AI Officer who was my manager’s manager at Meta. He’s making a similar amount to what we’re offering the new people. He was on their generative AI team, which is now Meta Superintelligence Labs. And we are already talking to a few other people from MSL and some others from Google DeepMind.”
What Shen said about hiring Meta AI researchers for his startup
Shen noted that he’s offering AI researchers who are leaving Meta pay packages of $2 million to work with his startup. He said: “It’s because of the talent war that was started by Mark Zuckerberg. I used to work at Meta, and I speak with my former colleagues often about this. When I heard about their compensation packages, I was shocked — it’s really in the tens of millions range. But it shows that in this age, AI researchers who make the best models and stand at the frontier of technology are really worth this amount of money. We’re building an AI model that can see and remember just like humans. The things that we are working on are very niche. So we are looking for people who are really, really good at the whole field of understanding video data.”He even explained that his company is prioritising hires who are willing to take more equity than cash, allowing it to preserve its financial runway. These recruits will be treated as founding members rather than employees, with compensation split between cash and equity depending on the individual, Shen added.Over the next six months, the AI startup is planning to add three to five people, followed by another five to ten within a year, alongside efforts to raise additional funding. Shen believes that investing heavily in talent will strengthen, not hinder, future fundraising.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) – While artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming our world, a troubling trend shows scammers using it to steal from seniors, specifically grandparents.
You’ve probably heard the phrase ‘seeing is believing’ your whole life. But in an age of artificial intelligence, the turn of phrase doesn’t exactly stand the test of time. When it’s in the wrong hands, this new technology can make our senior citizens, who didn’t grow up in the digital age, a vulnerable population.
“One of the ways we see that being done is with what’s known as the grandparent scam,” Jamie Harding, AARP of Alabama Communications director, said. “The grandparent scam is basically, it usually happens late at night, they’re asleep, and someone calls them purporting to be their grandchild, they’re in trouble, they need money immediately.”
However, it isn’t actually their grandchild on the other end of the phone. Scammers have used AI technology to replicate the sound of their grandchild’s voice to try to take money.
“These are very sophisticated international crime rings, and they have access to a lot of very sophisticated technology,” Harding said.
To protect your family from these scams, Harding suggests having a code word that every member of your family knows so you can be sure it’s actually your loved one calling.
She also advises you not to answer phone calls from unknown numbers and to keep your personal information off the internet.
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