Talk: Privacy Paradox of GenAI: What It Knows, Why It Matters, and How We Fight Back Roberto Yus, 12-1pm EST Wed. Nov. 5, 2025, online Generative AI (GenAI) systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are transforming how we work, communicate, and create, but they also pose serious privacy concerns. These systems often absorb sensitive inputs, operate atop opaque training data, and may retain more than users realize. The real paradox is this: while GenAI can compromise our privacy, it can also be harnessed to help protect it.

The talk explores both sides of that paradox. We begin by examining what these systems "know", from how everyday prompts may reveal personal or proprietary information to how models process, store, or share data. We then discuss why these risks matter, both for individuals and institutions navigating a rapidly shifting AI landscape. But this is not just a critique, it's a call to action. We'll share practical recommendations for using GenAI tools more safely and privately. Then, we'll turn to new research from the DAMS Lab that flips the script: using GenAI to interpret and explain complex corporate privacy policies, empowering users to make informed, privacy-conscious decisions.

This online talk is for anyone who wants to benefit from GenAI without surrendering control over their data, and who sees privacy not as a casualty of AI progress, but as a challenge AI itself can help us solve.

Roberto Yus is an Assistant Professor on the UMBC  CSEE department where he leads the DAMS (DAta Management & Semantics) Research Group. His research interests include Data Management, Knowledge Representation, the Internet of Things, and Privacy. Specifically, semantic and privacy-preserving data management in IoT environments.


]]> Generative AI (GenAI) systems like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini are transforming how we work, communicate, and create, but they also pose serious privacy concerns. These systems often absorb... https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/library/events/144148 https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/154123/guest@my.umbc.edu/065059369180e9ab2633e5bda02b3567/api/pixel ai genai llm privacy talk Computer Science and Electrical Engineering https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/csee https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xsmall.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/original.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xxlarge.png?1314043393 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xlarge.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/large.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/medium.png?1314043393 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/small.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xsmall.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xxsmall.png?1314043393 UMBC AOK Library https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/154/123/c47c15bea0ca0c0c28102d38bbc6fa7b/xxlarge.jpg?1762033054 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/154/123/c47c15bea0ca0c0c28102d38bbc6fa7b/xlarge.jpg?1762033054 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/154/123/c47c15bea0ca0c0c28102d38bbc6fa7b/large.jpg?1762033054 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/154/123/c47c15bea0ca0c0c28102d38bbc6fa7b/medium.jpg?1762033054 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/154/123/c47c15bea0ca0c0c28102d38bbc6fa7b/small.jpg?1762033054 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/154/123/c47c15bea0ca0c0c28102d38bbc6fa7b/xsmall.jpg?1762033054 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/154/123/c47c15bea0ca0c0c28102d38bbc6fa7b/xxsmall.jpg?1762033054 flyer for talk by Roberto Yus on genai and privacy 0 0 true Sat, 01 Nov 2025 17:52:57 -0400 Generative AI Unleashed: From Basics to Building 4/26 Free online workshop, 9am-12pm EDT, Sat. April 26, 2025
Woman using laptop computer

LinkedIn says that from 2015 to 2030, 70% of the skills used in most jobs will change, with AI emerging as a catalyst. Explore the power of generative AI during this free three-hour virtual workshop sponsored by UMBC-Shady Grove.

Recent advances in generative AI, including large language models, can create new content, including text, images, code, audio, and video, by learning from existing data and guided by user prompts. This has led to many new applications that can revolutionize industries by boosting creativity, automating tasks, and improving efficiency. 

From fundamentals to hands-on practice, UMBC's data science program director, Dr. Ali Yousuf, will guide interactive activities for all skill levels. Learn valuable applications of generative AI and see how UMBC's graduate programs in data science can help you advance in this growing field. 

 Register here to get the link for this free online workshop

]]> LinkedIn says that from 2015 to 2030, 70% of the skills used in most jobs will change, with AI emerging as a catalyst. Explore the power of generative AI during this free three-hour virtual... https://shadygrove.umbc.edu/event/generative-ai-unleashed-from-basics-to-building/ https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/149489/guest@my.umbc.edu/3dfb5ff407a645f93edb76c05261c3de/api/pixel ai data-science genai llm Computer Science and Electrical Engineering https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/csee https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xsmall.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/original.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xxlarge.png?1314043393 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xlarge.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/large.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/medium.png?1314043393 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/small.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xsmall.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xxsmall.png?1314043393 Computer Science and Electrical Engineering 0 0 true Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:34:59 -0400 Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:35:31 -0400 Expanded set of powerful AI tools for the UMBC community

UMBC’s Division of Information Technology announced the expanded availability of powerful AI tools to support the UMBC community in teaching, learning, research, and productivity.

All UMBC accounts now have access to the free version of Google Gemini, which has a wide range of AI-powered features that can assist with writing, brainstorming, and information-gathering tasks. The Gemini suite also includes the new notebookLM system that helps users understand and organize information from uploaded documents. It can also generate audio overviews of that information and Gemini’s Deep Research tool. Paid licenses for Gemini Advanced will be available in some cases.

All UMBC accounts now have default access to the free version of Microsoft Copilot, which provides a model for brainstorming, email generation, and more. Paid licenses for Copilot Pro that allow integration with the Microsoft 365 suite (Word, Excel, Teams, …) are available in some cases.

UMBC now has a local instance of Amplify, an innovative AI tool developed by Vanderbilt University that provides access to commercial AI models hosted within UMBC's secure cloud environment, including from OpenAI, such as GPT-4o or o1 series, Meta Llama, or Anthropic Claude models. Access to UMBC's Amplify is available to faculty and staff upon submission of an access request.

See DoIT’s GenAI Tools page for more information. ]]> UMBC’s Division of Information Technology announced the expanded availability of powerful AI tools to support the UMBC community in teaching, learning, research, and productivity. All UMBC... https://doit.umbc.edu/ai/genai-tools/ https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/148353/guest@my.umbc.edu/11bc3d399772b840a51d6abe210b0b56/api/pixel ai amplify copilot gemini genai llm notebooklm Computer Science and Electrical Engineering https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/csee https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xsmall.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/original.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xxlarge.png?1314043393 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xlarge.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/large.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/medium.png?1314043393 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/small.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xsmall.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xxsmall.png?1314043393 Computer Science and Electrical Engineering https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/148/353/57302375b8147a9d3a80eb5d60b6c371/xxlarge.jpg?1743020058 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/148/353/57302375b8147a9d3a80eb5d60b6c371/xlarge.jpg?1743020058 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/148/353/57302375b8147a9d3a80eb5d60b6c371/large.jpg?1743020058 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/148/353/57302375b8147a9d3a80eb5d60b6c371/medium.jpg?1743020058 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/148/353/57302375b8147a9d3a80eb5d60b6c371/small.jpg?1743020058 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/148/353/57302375b8147a9d3a80eb5d60b6c371/xsmall.jpg?1743020058 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/thumbnails/news/000/148/353/57302375b8147a9d3a80eb5d60b6c371/xxsmall.jpg?1743020058 1 1 true Wed, 26 Mar 2025 16:18:43 -0400 CodeBot '25: Can We Trust AI-Generated Code? 2/25-26 Workshop Feb. 25-26, 2025 in Columbia, MD and online

Can We Trust AI-Generated Code?

Workshop sponsored by UMBC & Army Research Laboratory
Feb. 25-26, 2025 UMBC Training Centers, Columbia, MD & online

  Submit Position papers by January 20, 2025


The era of generative AI is upon us, and chatbots such as chatGPT are being used by programmers at all levels of experience to produce code.  Some generative AI systems, such as Gemini Code Assist, specialize in code generation.  Unfortunately, AI-generated code often contains errors in the form of functionality that fails to meet specifications or vulnerabilities that can be exploited by hackers.  People have been working on program verification and secure coding for sixty years, but even so, the skill needed to find such errors is possessed by only a fraction of software engineers, and these skills are not being passed on to student programmers as they should be.

The goal of this FREE workshop is to gather and produce actionable ideas and suggestions that may be of use to the IT profession.  The workshop will consist of invited speakers, panels, and open discussion. 

We invite would-be participants to submit short position papers offering comments, observations, experiences, and suggestions that pertain to any or all of the following workshop themes:
  1. What is or could be done to make AI-generated code more trustworthy, from the perspective of functionality and/or cybersecurity?
  2. How can we do better at instilling the ideas and tools of secure development into the software profession?
  3. Being able to produce quality code, with or without the aid of AI, seems to be related to system skills in general. How can we do better at giving students these skills before (or as) they enter the workplace?
Position papers should limited to three pages using this template and submitted by email to codebot25@umbc.edu. 

The organizing committee will select several papers for live presentation at the workshop. Selection will be based on relevance to the workshop themes, technical merit, and perceived interest to the audience.  Position papers that are mere marketing pieces will not be considered, but descriptions of hardware and software solutions tying into the themes described above are welcome. Limited travel support may be available for non-local speakers. Position papers and summaries of the discussions that follow will make up the core of the workshop report.

UMBC students, both graduate or undergraduate, are welcome to submit position papers that describe their own personal experience and observations with AI-generated code in their own words.  Students may include their resumes with position papers if they wish to have their work/resume circulated to other attendees.  Domestic and international students are welcome to participate in this workshop.

Important Dates:
  Position paper submission deadline: January 20, 2025
  P̶o̶s̶i̶t̶i̶o̶n̶ p̶a̶p̶e̶r̶ s̶u̶b̶m̶i̶s̶s̶i̶o̶n̶ d̶e̶a̶d̶l̶i̶n̶e̶:̶ J̶a̶n̶u̶a̶r̶y̶ 7̶, 2̶0̶2̶5̶
  Notice of acceptance: January 31, 2025
  Registration deadline: February 18, 2025
    (no registration fee, but space is limited)
  Workshop dates: February 25-26, 2025

The workshop will take place at UMBC Training Centers, 6996 Columbia Gateway Dr #100, Columbia, MD 21046

REGISTER @ https://forms.gle/CipmPbbBVBLfHc728

In-person space is limited, so register early! Based on RSVPs received, the organizing committee reserves the right to be selective in whom it selects to join the in-person meeting.

Instructions for virtual participation will be made available prior to the workshop.

Organizing Committee:
  Prajna Bhandary, UMBC
  Mike De Lucia, Army Research Laboratory
  Richard Forno, UMBC
  Lindsay Gaughan, UMBC Training Centers
  Cynthia Matuszek, UMBC
  Charles Nicholas, UMBC
  Steve Simske, Colorado State University
  Larry Wagoner, Dept. of Defense
  Linda Kidder Yarlott, UMBC
  Paul Yu, Army Research Laboratory

Questions? Send email to codebot25@umbc.edu
]]> Can We Trust AI-Generated Code? Workshop sponsored by UMBC & Army Research Laboratory Feb. 25-26, 2025 UMBC Training Centers, Columbia, MD & online   Submit Position papers... https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/146149/guest@my.umbc.edu/b7b522465d0ebaf0fef24fba8865b2c5/api/pixel ai code genai llm programming trust Computer Science and Electrical Engineering https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/csee https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xsmall.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/original.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xxlarge.png?1314043393 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xlarge.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/large.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/medium.png?1314043393 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/small.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xsmall.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xxsmall.png?1314043393 UMBC and Army Research Laboratory 0 0 true Mon, 09 Dec 2024 07:57:55 -0500 Tue, 07 Jan 2025 15:13:56 -0500 Talk: Trust but verify, building production ready Gen AI applications 1-2pm EDT, Thur. 10 Oct. 2024, ITE 325b, Webex TBD

Trust but verify, building production ready Gen AI applications

Dr. Anupam Datta, Co-Head of Snowflake AI Research
1-2pm EDT, Thur. 10 Oct. 2024, ITE 325b, Webex TBD

We have seen a tremendous surge of interest in enterprises for generative AI applications – from chatbots and summarization to agents and multi-modal apps. Yet most of these apps remain in the prototype and experimentational stage. To move apps into production and keep them there, it is critical to make them efficient and to address common failure modes  – hallucinations, retrieval failures, safety issues such as toxicity and bias and more, all while providing robust governance.

In this talk, we will share learnings from building and maintaining production-grade apps. Using two concrete examples – Cortex Search (which incorporates hybrid search to power question-answering over unstructured data) and Cortex Analyst (which enables business users to talk to their structured data with SOTA accuracy) – we will examine key design patterns to build efficient and trusted generative AI apps. Building on TruLens, our open source project, we will also present a methodology for evaluating, experimenting, and monitoring generative AI apps that enables developers to measure app quality, identify and debug failure modes, and build the trust that’s needed to move apps into production and keep them there. Specifically, we will discuss evaluation methodologies based on the RAG Triad -- context relevance, groundedness, and answer relevance -- that can surface flaws in LLM apps and guide iteration to improve them. We will also show how this can be done practically using our open source framework, TruLens, leveraging both LLMs-as-a-judge and smaller, custom models that scale better to production monitoring workloads.

Anupam Datta is Co-Head of Snowflake AI Research. He joined Snowflake as part of the acquisition of TruEra where he served as Co-Founder, President, and Chief Scientist from 2019-2024. Datta was on the faculty at Carnegie Mellon University from 2007-2022, most recently as a tenured Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science. Datta's current research focuses on Trustworthy AI and includes pioneering work on evaluation, explainability, fairness, and adversarial robustness of ML models and GenAI applications. His research has also had significant product impact at TruEra and Snowflake. Datta served as Chair of the National Academies Workshop on Assessing and Improving AI Trustworthiness, on the Steering Committee of of the ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency, and the IEEE Computer Security Foundations Symposium, and as an Editor-in-Chief of Foundations and Trends in Privacy and Security. He obtained a B.Tech. from IIT Kharagpur, and Ph.D. and M.S. degrees from Stanford University, all in Computer Science. 

Host: Dr. Richard Forno (rforno@umbc.edu)
]]> Trust but verify, building production ready Gen AI applications Dr. Anupam Datta, Co-Head of Snowflake AI Research 1-2pm EDT, Thur. 10 Oct. 2024, ITE 325b, Webex TBD We have seen a tremendous... https://beta.my.umbc.edu/api/v0/pixel/news/144635/guest@my.umbc.edu/c9a53f0ebac932601e5daf36835f9487/api/pixel ai cybersecurity genai llm security trust Computer Science and Electrical Engineering https://beta.my.umbc.edu/groups/csee https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xsmall.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/original.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xxlarge.png?1314043393 https://assets4-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xlarge.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/large.png?1314043393 https://assets1-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/medium.png?1314043393 https://assets2-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/small.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xsmall.png?1314043393 https://assets3-beta.my.umbc.edu/system/shared/avatars/groups/000/000/099/d117dca133c64bf78a4b7696dd007189/xxsmall.png?1314043393 Computer Science and Electrical Engineering 1 0 true Wed, 09 Oct 2024 11:23:24 -0400