Young Scientist From Kerala Listed in Global “AI’s 10 to Watch”

Sarath Sreedharan, an assistant professor of computer science at Colorado State University, has been recognized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Intelligent (IEEE) Systems as one of “AI’s 10 to Watch”, in a global list prepared by the institute. The recognition is for his foundational framework of human-aware artificial intelligence systems and its application to navigate problems like explainability and value alignment. 

Sreedharan’s research focuses on the foundations of AI, with a goal of translating human beliefs, behaviors and ethics into algorithms that AI systems can integrate.

To achieve this, he studied topics like explainability – the ability to understand why an AI system or algorithm made a decision – and value alignment, the process of creating AI systems that behave in line with human values. Both have grown in discussion and importance as ethical concerns of AI rise. 

“AI systems are not these artifacts that are floating around in space,” Sreedharan said. “They’ve been built for a purpose, they’re built to work with people and that has to be part of its design from the get go.” 

As the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology, IEEE recognizes those who have made strides in AI research and promote solutions to the ever-changing challenges of the field. Every two years, worldwide researchers select 10 young and emerging scientists around the world for the prestigious award.

Dr. Sreedharan’s doctoral dissertation received the 2022 Dean’s Dissertation Award from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University and an Honorable Mention for the ICAPS-23 Outstanding Dissertation Award. He has also co-authored a monograph on explainable human-AI interactions and has been recognized as a DARPA Riser Scholar in 2022.

Dr. Sreedharan completed his B.Tech in Computer Science from the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) in Kerala, India. He originally hails from Payyoli in Kozhikode district. He is the son of M.C.Sreedharan, a former employee of State Bank of India and N.Prabhavathi.

This report is an abridged version of the award announcement report that was published in colostate.edu website. The original report can be read here.