From disasters to diagnoses: BYU students use AI to solve real-world problems

On Friday, April 17, students in the BYU AI Association gathered for the final push to complete and submit machine learning projects aimed at solving real-world challenges.

Working in teams, students chose a range of projects spanning fields like healthcare, law and public safety. Every project focused on using artificial intelligence to make sense of complex, real-world problems.

Tyran Heatons team focused on one of todays most pressing digital challenges: misinformation. Their model analyzes tweets to determine whether they describe real disasters or simply use exaggerated metaphorical language.

Were trying to predict whether a tweet is about a real disaster or not, Heaton said. A lot of people might use words as metaphors, but thats not a real disaster.

The project addresses a growing need in an age where news spreads rapidly online. Heaton emphasized that while humans can usually distinguish between literal and figurative language, AI has the potential to do so at scale and speed.

This could be very valuable to news organizations, Heaton said. It could help them share real information and sift through the things that arent true.

Other teams explored equally impactful applications. Tyler Moessings group built a model to predict triage acuity levels in emergency departments, a system that ranks patients based on the urgency of their condition.

Every minute counts in emergency situations, Moessing said.

Their model uses initial patient data, such as vital signs and reported symptoms, to help determine who needs care first.

The implications are significant. Research from Chung Shan Medical University in Taiwan shows that AI is already improving healthcare by enabling faster and more accurate diagnoses while reducing human error.

Systems like these can help medical professionals make critical decisions more efficiently and potentially save lives. Students recognized that impact as a key motivator.

We wanted to contribute to a cause that benefits humanity, Moessing said. Our work is contributing ideas toward practical, real-world solutions.

While some teams focused on high-stakes applications, others used the competition as a learning opportunity. Josh McConkies group worked on predicting which passengers survived the Titanic.

This is a teaching foundation for us, McConkie said. Its helpful to have a very straightforward problem and work on building different methods.

Despite its historical setting, this project helps build skills that translate across industries. Machine learning models that analyze patterns in data, such as passenger demographics and location, are the same types used today in fields such as finance, healthcare and cybersecurity.

Suzana Pinheiros team applied those same principles to the legal field. Their model retrieves relevant Swiss legal sources in response to English-language questions, helping bridge language barriers in legal research.

You can ask any legal question, and it will return the most relevant Swiss legal source, Pinheiro said. It is meant to make your job go faster.

Her project highlights one of AIs most widely recognized benefits: efficiency. According to a 2025 report by Syracuse University, AI tools are already improving productivity across industries by automating repetitive tasks and enabling faster decision-making.

But as students explored AIs potential, they also acknowledged its challenges. Artificial intelligence is often described as part of a new technological revolution that is reshaping not only industries, but human relationships and society as a whole.

While it offers clear benefits, it also raises concerns about job displacement, bias and ethical responsibility. Some students shared those concerns openly.

I think a lot of people will be left without jobs, McConkie said. If a position does not require personal connection or innovation, it will likely be automated.

Broader research predicts that AI could impact up to 300 million jobs globally, but is also expected to create new roles and increase overall productivity by about 7% annually over the next decade. Rather than eliminating opportunity, many experts see AI as reshaping it.

Students in the BYU AI Association are preparing for that future by gaining hands-on experience now.

Everyone should come to the AI club, Heaton said. You can choose a project that directly impacts your field and learn how to integrate it with AI, even if you start out knowing nothing.

This emphasis on accessibility reflects the BYU AI Associations broader mission: helping students from all backgrounds understand and use AI responsibly.

Researchers and students alike have emphasized that artificial intelligence is ultimately a tool created by humans to solve problems and improve processes. Its impact depends on how it is used.

There is good and bad to AI, just as there is good and bad to the internet, Heaton said. If people choose to use AI for good, it's going to be an extremely useful technology that I think everybody should embrace.

For Kai Sandberg, president of the BYU AI Association, BYUs goal isnt just innovation for its own sake. Instead, it is using AI to make a positive difference.

The mission of the BYU AI Association is to elevate the vision for what we can do to bless the world through AI, Sandberg said. A lot of people in tech get obsessed with creating and improving the product and leave it up to someone else to use it for good. We need more researchers who remember that this can actually bless people, and thats our vision at BYU.