Washington State Magazine
Cantwell on AI: WSU's job is making it useful, not just flashy
Betsy Cantwell walked into the AI conversation and did what a Coug president should do: she asked what it's actually for. While the rest of the world chases the flashiest demo or the biggest headline, Cantwell says WSU's job is making artificial intelligence useful. Not impressive. Useful. That distinction matters, and it sounds like Pullman.
She's talking about AI that serves the people who grow our food, treat our patients, and teach our kids. Not another chatbot that writes poetry. This is the kind of thinking that keeps a land-grant university honest. You don't need a billion-dollar lab to ask the right question: does this thing work for the people who need it most? Cantwell seems to think the answer starts with application, not hype.
It fits neatly alongside the kind of work we see around here. Take the new WSU study on cannabis ads and how they shape what young adults think about sex. That's not flashy either. It's a researcher looking at a real thing in the real world and telling us what it means. That's the same muscle Cantwell is flexing.
We don't need to pretend WSU is Stanford. We never have. What we need is a president who knows the difference between a demo and a difference. Go Cougs.
