Artificial intelligence isn’t just writing emails, answering questions or generating pictures anymore. It’s increasingly showing up in workplaces alongside robotics and other emerging technologies, changing how people do their jobs — and, in some cases, whether those jobs exist at all.

At Cal State San Bernardino, a new center is being built to explore both sides of that equation: what these rapidly evolving technologies can do and how people can adapt as they reshape the workforce.

CSUSB’s AI Research and Retraining Center (ARRC) will bring together research, hands-on technology and workforce training to help the Inland Empire respond to changes brought by AI, robotics and virtual reality.

“People are already being displaced by AI and automation,” said Vincent Nestler, professor in CSUSB’s School of Cyber and Decision Sciences and director of the university’s Center for Cyber and AI. “The question is, how do we help them gain new skills and get back into the workforce as AI and robotics continue to change the jobs people do?”

ARRC is supported by a $1.031 million National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Congressionally Identified Projects award secured by U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar, with support from U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff. The two-year project will give CSUSB new resources to study emerging technologies while developing practical ways to help people prepare for an AI-shaped economy.

And some of that research may sound a little like science fiction.

Nestler envisions robots that can walk into a room, scan their surroundings and create a virtual replica — almost like turning the room into a video game. Before the robot moves through the real space, it could test different routes in the virtual version, quickly figure out the best way to get where it needs to go and then put that plan into action.

ARRC will give faculty and students opportunities to experiment with technology like this while asking practical questions: What can these systems do? Where could they be useful? What happens when something goes wrong? And how do we make sure they’re safe and secure as they become a bigger part of everyday life and work?

The center is being equipped with AI computing technology, virtual reality systems and robotic platforms, including quadruped and humanoid robots. Research will include examining whether AI systems and robots can be hacked, manipulated or made to behave in unintended ways.

But ARRC isn’t just about studying the technology. A central part of its mission is studying what that technology means for people.

The center will examine how AI and automation are changing jobs and explore how workers whose jobs have been disrupted can develop new skills that employers need. That doesn’t mean everyone needs to become an AI engineer. Instead, the idea is to help people learn how to use AI and other emerging tools alongside the knowledge and abilities they already have.

ARRC plans to develop an AI Retraining Portal and a library of training materials to help workers, students and community partners learn to use AI tools safely and effectively in real jobs. The center also will include hands-on training through its robotics lab in CSUSB’s James R. Watson and Judy Rodriguez Watson College of Education building, as well as outreach and a retraining cohort for Inland Empire workers who are at risk of displacement or have already been displaced.

That work could be especially relevant in the Inland Empire, where logistics and warehousing are major employers and automation, robotics and AI are increasingly becoming part of those industries.

And Nestler doesn’t want the research to come only from computer scientists or cybersecurity experts.

The effect of AI on work raises questions about people, education, business, communication and society, among other areas. That creates opportunities for faculty throughout CSUSB to bring the perspective of their own disciplines to ARRC.

“I’m looking for faculty who are interested in doing research through ARRC,” Nestler said. “It doesn’t matter what discipline you’re in. We’re especially interested in research that looks at how we help people whose jobs are displaced by AI gain new skills and get back into the workforce. That’s really at the heart of what this center is about. We want people from across the university bringing their ideas and expertise to that challenge. If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and get to work, come see me.”

ARRC is part of a broader effort at CSUSB to understand where AI is taking the workforce — and help people get ready for what comes next.

Through AI Horizon, Center for Cyber and AI researchers are studying how AI is changing work and getting that information into the hands of faculty and students. Another effort, AI4Ward, is focused on rapidly building AI knowledge and awareness throughout the national Centers of Academic Excellence community, which includes hundreds of colleges and universities.

Together, those efforts approach AI from different directions, but ARRC has a particularly hands-on mission: study the technology, understand what it means for workers and turn that knowledge into practical training.

AI and robotics will continue to change what work looks like. Through ARRC, CSUSB is working to ensure that as the technology moves forward, people have the skills and opportunities to move forward with it.