AI News at Smith

For the third consecutive year, University of Maryland Master of Science in Information Systems & AI students partnered with government agencies, corporations and nonprofits to design AI-enabled systems. Fourteen teams delivered projects that modernize workflows, improve service delivery and support data-driven decision-making across sectors.

Business school leaders from more than 150 Mid-Atlantic institutions gathered at the University of Maryland’s Smith School to discuss higher education challenges, including AI, shifting student demands, and market changes. Conference speakers emphasized AI fluency, curriculum innovation, experiential learning, and adapting business education for long-term sustainability.

Smith faculty led an AI literacy workshop where students used interactive tools and peer presentations to explore practical applications, emphasizing AI as a collaborative assistant while highlighting its limits and role in improving academic, professional and entrepreneurial outcomes.

University of Maryland’s Smith School hosted its annual AI and Analytics for Social Good Workshop, convening experts to showcase data-driven research addressing societal challenges, advancing responsible AI, informing policy and preparing students for an evolving, technology-driven workforce.

Renfort, an AI system that automates dental charting, won the $25,000 top prize at the 2026 Pitch Dingman Competition. The annual University of Maryland event featured student and alumni ventures competing across multiple tracks for funding, resources and coaching.

At the Smith School's Agentic AI Challenge, 67 student teams developed solutions to industry problems using advanced AI systems, with finalists presenting prototypes judged by industry experts, highlighting cross-disciplinary participation, real-world collaboration and evolving applications of artificial intelligence.

At the 2026 AI Symposium on Design and Governance, speakers examined how artificial intelligence is shaping work, healthcare and software, emphasizing human-centered design, emerging skills, ethical oversight and the responsible integration of AI to augment, not replace, human capabilities.

A new study finds AI assistants are expanding the market, not competing in a zero-sum race. Researchers identify scale, ecosystem and premium strategies driving growth, but warn coexistence may fade as expansion slows, capital tightens and competitive pressures reshape the industry.

A University of Maryland white paper analyzing 155 million U.S. job postings finds no evidence AI reduces labor demand. Instead, AI hiring is rising and entry-level opportunities are growing, challenging claims that artificial intelligence is broadly displacing workers.

With spring semester past midpoint, University of Maryland Smith School students are completing experiential and capstone projects with industry partners, applying AI and data analysis to financial market questions, producing research on mortgage risk, banking trends and private credit exposure.