A group of students in the Language Technologies Institute's (LTI) Master of Science in Artificial Intelligence and Innovation program are using AI to create smarter cleaning schedules for restrooms at Pittsburgh International Airport. AI will use data from flight schedules and sensors in the restrooms to better direct cleaning crews.

Michael Shamos, Distinguished Career Professor in the LTI and the program's director, said the airport project — one of six capstones sponsored by outside organizations — was the most popular among his students this year.

"It was a public service, and there are a lot of people in our program who are very concerned about using AI for public good. Public good not only means not evil, but it also means things that benefit lots of people, as opposed to systems that are built for a private company to increase its profits. And so anytime we have a governmental or nongovernmental agency, that tends to attract," Shamos said.

Pittsburgh International Airport's Blue Sky News featured the project this week as the latest collaboration between the airport and CMU. The project is tied to the airport's xBridge innovation center, which includes Honeywell, CMU, and CMU-spinoffs Zensors, Carnegie Robotics and RE2.