In November, California State University, Northridge students got a chance to see how leading-edge technology can be a powerful tool for societal change at the “Artificial Intelligence x Social Entrepreneurship” workshop. The workshop was co-sponsored by CSUN’s Information Technology department and campus Amazon Alexa Fellow Tim Tiemann, managing director of the CSUN Innovation Incubator, housed within the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics.

The workshop focused on how artificial intelligence (AI) and voice technologies might be used to improve housing, food insecurity and sustainability conditions in at-risk communities. Tiemann was joined by Tyler Bell, a technology and human-resources education consultant from the Annenberg Foundation, who spoke to the more than 80 students about the importance of social entrepreneurship and technology.

The workshop was partly inspired by the Nazarian College’s participation in the inaugural Amazon Alexa Innovation Fellowship program. The fellowship aims to help support on-campus entrepreneurial programs through funding, Alexa devices, hardware kits and regular training. The resources must be used for student scholarships and to further support innovation programs, operating costs and sponsorships.

Alexa Innovation Fellowship, CSUN Innovation Incubator, David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, Information Technology