The American University of Armenia and PicsArt have signed a cooperation agreement through which they will launch an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Lab that will employ faculty and students to conduct cutting-edge research in machine learning and computer vision.

In her speech during the signing ceremony, President of the American University of Armenia Dr. Karin Markides stated that the opening of the Artificial Intelligence Lab is a major stage in the advancement of AUA and a significant step in terms of the advancement of exact sciences and IT in Armenia.

Markides mentioned that it is important for Armenia to draw the attention of international corporations, but they need to see the country’s potential, and Markides is certain that Armenia has the potential and not only for the development of the existing products, but also for the creation of new products.

Founder of PicsArt Hovhannes Avoyan stated that the rapid development of the IT sector has entailed the penetration of Artificial Intelligence into all sectors, starting from healthcare and ending with finance and defense. He is certain that the collaboration between PicsArt and the American University of Armenia will be ongoing and will contribute to significant development of the IT sector in Armenia, helping turn the country into a center of excellence in not only the region, but also around the world.

The AI Lab will employ two members of the AUA faculty, lead researchers, and about 15 undergraduate students from AUA’s Akian College of Science and Engineering (CSE) majoring in computer and data science. The students will be trained to conduct both applied and fundamental research in machine learning and computer vision. AUA professors and machine learning professionals from PicsArt will begin trainings in January 2020. After a six-week training course, the best performing students will be hired by the AI Lab.