Education Partnership To Improve Artificial Intelligence Practices

Moderna recently announced the launch of its Artificial Intelligence Academy. Partnering with Carnegie Mellon University, the AI Academy is intended to educate employees in integrating AI and machine learning solutions into the Moderna system.

“Moderna is advancing mRNA medicines at a breadth, speed and scale that is uncommon in the biopharmaceutical industry, and we attribute this speed in part to the incorporation of digital technologies in our company,” said the CEO of Moderna Stéphane Bancel in a press release.

 According to Bancel, looking at the next 10–20 years, the company believes that there will be a lot to learn regarding improving patient outcomes and maximizing the impact of mRNA technologies.

“We believe AI is a key enabler of our ability to build the best version of Moderna now and into the future. This AI academy will enable us to make AI part of the company’s ways of working, part of our DNA. We look forward to driving this with Carnegie Mellon’s team,” Bancel said.

CMU’s Department of Statistics & Data Science and the Tepper School of Business are collaborating with professors across the university to develop the AI Academy. The program will feature a tailored curriculum for working professionals focused on data quality, data visualization, statistical models, machine learning algorithms, and AI ethics.

The content will assist all Moderna employees to think strategically about how to leverage AI in their specific job functions. The AI Academy will connect Moderna staff directly to CMU faculty members both in-person and online using the Integrated Statistics Learning Environment (ISLE), an interactive educational platform developed at the university.

According to the US News & World Report rankings, CMU is the top university for graduate education in AI and computer science.

“We are excited to deliver a world-class AI curriculum to Moderna and support the company’s deep-rooted commitment to discovery and innovation that protects public health,” said CMU President Farnam Jahanian.

“With decades-long leadership in the field, Carnegie Mellon is uniquely positioned to help businesses learn how to use AI to drive the kinds of breakthroughs needed to address urgent societal challenges. It’s rewarding to partner with a pioneering biotech company that is dedicated to adapting its business and its workforce to this critical technology.”

With the strategic partnership, Moderna employees will be provided with the skills and education to deliver improved AI capabilities, investing in a digital-first culture. Moderna is planning for a full rollout of the program in early 2022.