Enhancing Trust and Reliability in Artificial Intelligence Applied to Human Biometrics
The primary focus of the AI Trust and Reliability (AITAR) Lab, established under the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society at the University of Notre Dame, is interdisciplinary research to advance the trust and reliability of artificial intelligence (AI) when applied to systems involving humans (such as biometric recognition) and serving humans (such as AI-assisted systems aiding human experts).
Since its establishment in 2024, the Lab has been directed by Adam Czajka, associate professor of computer science and engineering.
AITAR leads efforts with Institute faculty, staff, postdoctoral scholars, and external collaborators to design and build AI algorithms that are not only reliable in themselves but also provide trustworthy and dependable services to the community.
The AITAR Lab creates an environment for the exchange of ideas on globally discussed issues related to AI trust, reliability, and safety, and facilitates the conceptualization of actionable solutions in response to these discussions.
The Lab is committed to mentoring the next generation of researchers and professionals. By fostering an environment that is dedicated to mentoring students, faculty, and postdoctoral scholars, AITAR works to advance modern approaches to human biometrics.
Why “AITAR”?
Interestingly, the word “AITAR” seems to have a Basque origin, meaning “to have good fathers.” This meaning resonates well with the strong foundations of the AITAR Lab, which builds on 25 years of Adam Czajka’s research and industry experience in biometrics, machine learning, and security, along with numerous projects in these areas led by Czajka and funded by the US National Science Foundation (NSF CAREER award), US Department of Defense, US National Institute of Justice, FBI Biometric Center of Excellence, NIST, IARPA, US Army, European Commission, Polish Ministry of Higher Education, and various companies.
Meet the AITAR Lab Director
Adam Czajka is an associate professor in the department of computer science and engineering at the University of Notre Dame, with over 25 years of professional experience in biometrics, security, and machine learning. His primary research interests focus on the reliability of biometric recognition, recently emphasizing modern artificial intelligence methods.
Czajka is generally fascinated by a wide range of research in computer vision and machine learning, as well as the non-obvious intersections with psychology, medical sciences, and art, which often involve high-risk but high-reward outcomes.
