“AI is here to stay; it’s up to us to build into the code noble human values and humanistic tendencies. We cannot let AI perceive humans as a threat.”
DR TISSA CHANDESA
Assistant Professor
School of Computer Science
For a student searching for a field of study in the early noughties an analogy provided by a friend proved to be a eureka moment. The friend described ICT as learning to drive a car, but computer science as understanding the entire build, mechanical and electrical structure and the processes that enable the car to be driven.
The student, Dr Tissa Chandesa - originally from the sleepy town of Taiping - decided to pick Computer Science for his undergraduate study. Then the next question became where do I go to study this? A chance sighting of the iconic castle logo on a building in the golden triangle district of Kuala Lumpur, announcing the presence of the 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@ of Nottingham Malaysia’s (UNM) School of Computer Science in Kuala Lumpur settled things for him.
Dr Tissa enrolled in the programme, became part of the first to graduate at the newly built Semenyih campus and has not looked back since.
UNM provided an ideal environment for his academic ambitions while Malaysia’s fast industrialising environment became the perfect study ground to test his many ideas and theories.
Today the School of Computer Science is the largest school at UNM in terms of enrollment, and Dr Chandesa and his fellow colleagues are constantly improving the pedagogical approach of the school.
A keen student of AI practices, he has turned the promise of this new technology into practical learning applications that can tailor teaching methodologies to match a student’s learning styles.
With the support of Professor Hazel Ramos, Vice Provost of Teaching & Learning, he is championing the introduction of AI into Teaching & Learning across the 188体育网址_188体育在线-【唯一授权网站】@ of Nottingham’s three campuses.
As an academic passionate about teaching and mentoring young minds, Dr Chandesa finds AI a boon with its capability and capacity to chart new methodologies to make learning more accessible.
Dr Chandesa is also working with industry partners to ensure all students experience working life either as interns or as programme development partners to various industry players.
Through his TedTalks and various speaking engagements, Dr Chandesa is positioning UNM as the pragmatic voice of responsible AI adoption and implementation.
He is also wary of AI becoming a crutch for students, stultifying natural curiosity and limiting serious enquiry. To address this, Dr Chandesa incorporates Scientific Enquiry and Critical Thinking into his teaching methodology.
His take on the coming AI revolution reveals a pragmatic approach where human emotions and needs are placed in the center of AI programming. He says, “AI is here to stay; it’s up to us to build into the code noble human values and humanistic tendencies. We cannot let AI perceive humans as a threat”.