Earlier this year, Michael Vaughn was tapped to lead the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Platform Services group responsible for implementing the Clarity Platform, a new AI tool available to the Yale community. As the associate director of Accessibility and AI Platform Services for Yale IT, he and his team also provide operational support for digital accessibility at Yale.
| Name | Michael Vaughn |
|---|---|
| Title | IT Associate Director, Accessibility and AI Platform Services |
| Time in Position | 8 months |
| Started at Yale | 2018 |
What are your current role and responsibilities?
I was initially hired to launch a new service and grow operational support for digital accessibly, which helps make Yale technology more accessible to people with disabilities. I assembled a core team of software engineers and specialists that provides digital accessibility consultation, guidance, and training for the Yale community. Following specific standards, we work with departments to make Yale websites and other technology accessible.
Recently, I was given the opportunity to lead a new team called AI Platform Services. We are responsible for implementing the Clarity Platform (Clarity), a new AI tool that is available free to Yale students, staff, and faculty. Clarity provides access to an AI chatbot similar to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Clarity is housed within Yale’s secure infrastructure to allow use with sensitive, confidential, or proprietary data. This tool can help you write emails and reports, code or analyze images, and summarize documents in a secure environment.
Can you describe your career journey and what led you to specialize in AI?
I have always been fascinated by how things work technically, which is important to be successful in the field of AI. Even as a young kid, I geeked out about technology, starting with my first Commodore VIC 20. While attending Indiana University, I got a degree in violin performance with a minor in computer science. I didn’t want to rely solely on playing violin as a career, so I got two master’s degrees in music education and music technology. After one year of teaching at a public-school, I realized it wasn’t for me and moved on to an IT job. I went on to become the IT director at Indiana University School of Nursing and then in the same capacity at Johns Hopkins University.
I’m not an AI expert, but I have learned a lot and bring the leadership required to set up a new service. Having that computer science and technology aptitude has enabled me to communicate with the experts and data scientists in delivering AI solutions for our community.
What brought you to Yale?
Having been the IT director at two university nursing schools, I felt ready to branch out. I started looking for an opportunity to join a large central IT organization, and the associate director of accessibility position was a fit. As an IT professional, it is my responsibility to help everyone — particularly people with disabilities — get access to digital technology. The Yale position was an opportunity to focus on that and work with a large central IT group. After I started at Yale, I got up to speed quickly, and it’s been a fantastic experience.
What advice would you give someone looking for a career in IT?
I think if you want to have a fulfilling career in IT, you must have a passion for it. Some people get into it because it’s a good-paying career, but you will become dissatisfied if you’re not energized by it. If you want to experience what the actual work is like, identify a problem and set your mind to solving it. If you keep pursuing these opportunities and find you like it and have an aptitude for it, keep learning and you will find your passion.
How do you see AI evolving in the workplace in the next 5 years?
The workplace will continue to evolve quickly, and I think AI will facilitate that evolution. We will see opportunities to leverage AI across the board with tools we commonly use. Over time, it will change the way that we work. In five years, we may routinely create documents and complete other tasks in new ways that are facilitated by these tools. It will be exciting to see, and there will be a lot of experimentation figuring out different ways to use these tools more effectively. The best way to learn about any AI tool is to get in there and give it a try.
