Gopal Manukonda, Early Arthritis Detection

In this week’s Tech Tuesday, UF Innovate spotlights University of Florida research that created an AI-powered tool for the early detection and severity prediction of knee osteoarthritis (OA).

The system allows users to upload an existing X-ray image, which is then analyzed to determine whether knee osteoarthritis is present and, if so, how severe it is. Gopal Manukonda explains how this technology supports early diagnosis, helping identify the condition before symptoms become severe and enabling more timely care and management.

Read more about University of Florida Researcher Develops AI Tool for Early Knee Osteoarthritis Detection.

UF Innovate | Accelerate resident client FNN has gained national recognition for its use of artificial intelligence to improve disaster response time and grid resilience. The organization leverages artificial intelligence with UF’s supercomputer, HiPerGator, to reduce the time it takes to identify a devastating wildfire from 24 hours to 40 seconds.

FNN’s lightning sensors and three other technologies were selected from more than 200 applications. The prize recognizes innovative technologies that strengthen communities’ ability to prepare and respond to natural disasters.

Read more about UF’s HiPerGator Drives FNN’s AI Wildfire Detection in Verizon Prize Recognition.

“This confirms that the University of Florida is focused on the right things – providing an outstanding education and preparing our students for success in the real world,” said Mori Hosseini, UF Board of Trustees chair. “C-suite and hiring executives seek out UF graduates because they know they can deliver.”

The 2026 list emphasizes how universities are embedding AI across academics, research and career preparation as employers increasingly prioritize graduates with AI experience and skills.

Read more about University of Florida Among Forbes’ 2026 Public “The New Ivies” List, Highlighting AI Leadership.

“I’m always looking for real-world problems,” said Minhee Kim, Ph.D., an assistant professor with the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, known as ISE. “We’re engineers, so we are always thinking, ‘What kind of new problem can we solve using data?’ And one of the more promising and relatively unexplored research areas is geomatics.”

Read more about UF Researchers Creating AI Models To Detect Sinkhole Trouble.

Created by Janet Coats, the managing director of the Consortium on Trust in Media and Technology and Kendall Moe, the senior project manager for Authentically, the program is set for a wide launch later this year.

Read more about UF’s Journalism School Unveils Authentically, a New AI-Powered Program That Reduces Bias in Writing.

A paper written by University of Florida Computer & Information Science & Engineering, or CISE, Professor Sumit Kumar Jha, Ph.D., contains so many science fiction terms, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a Hollywood script.

But Jha’s work is decidedly focused on real life, most notably strengthening the security measures built into AI tools to ensure they are safe for all to use.

Read more about Breaking AI on Purpose: How Researchers Are Helping Make Artificial Intelligence Safer.

The master’s program, which will span the UF College of Medicine campuses in Gainesville and Jacksonville, will equip graduates with the knowledge and skills to make impactful contributions in the emerging intersection between AI and clinical care, said Azra Bihorac, M.D., M.S., FCCM, FASN, who will serve as program director.

Read more about UF College of Medicine Launches AI in Biomedical and Health Sciences Master’s Program.

The book explores practical insights on the future of education and workforce readiness as the rapid emergence of AI transforms the global economy. One of the publication’s 14 authors is a UF AI consultant, Daniel Maxwell, PhD.  

In March, Maxwell was selected to be a senior fellow of Microsoft’s AI Economy Institute inaugural cohort. AIEI connects leaders in education, technology and industry to explore how AI is transforming the workplace as well as economic productivity, and share their findings with policymakers, educators and leaders worldwide.

Read more about UF AI Consultant Published in Microsoft’s AI Economy Institute’s First Book.

The work, titled “Deep Learning with Plausible Deniability,” was showcased in early December at NeurIPS 2025, one of the world’s most prestigious AI conferences. The paper is led by UF Ph.D. student Wenxuan Bao and UF associate professor Vincent Bindschaedler, Ph.D., in collaboration with Visa Research.

Read more about UF Researchers Develop New Training Method To Help AI Tools Learn Safely.

To protect crop yields and the environment, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is leveraging technology driven by artificial intelligence by building a 40,000-square-foot AI hub at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Hillsborough County. The Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture will serve as a world-class research, Extension and development facility.

Read more about Scientists at New AI Center Aim To Help Florida Farmers and Protect the Environment.