A new Indianapolis-based center is bringing together top researchers to test whether AI and robotics can transform medical care.

Why it matters: AI-powered care could make medicine safer, faster and more accessible — but only if researchers can solve major technical, ethical and cost challenges.

The big picture: With the launch of downtown's Center for AI and Robotic Excellence in Medicine (CARE) in January, Central Indiana is shaping the standards, tools and ethics of AI-driven medicine locally before the technology scales nationally.

State of play: CARE is a partnership between Purdue's Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering, the Indiana University School of Medicine and Indiana's Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute.

• CARE's roots trace back to a December workshop in Indy that convened more than 100 researchers, clinicians, industry leaders and federal stakeholders.
• The workshop's final report was released in mid-March, providing a look at the potential and pitfalls of medical automation.

What they're saying: CARE director Juan Wachs, a Purdue engineering professor and IU School of Medicine adjunct, told Axios the center exists because Indiana's world-class research institutions had been operating in silos.

• CARE bridges Purdue's strengths in AI, computing and engineering with IU's clinical expertise.
• "The thought process is ... if we connect these two pieces together, we have the potential to create something really impactful and not commonly seen across the country," Wachs said.

Zoom in: CARE's research has four pillars.

🤖 AI-assisted robots that work alongside surgeons as a team.

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Digital twins that simulate patients to test treatments without risk.

🔬 Autonomous smart laboratories.

🪖 AI-powered care for remote and combat settings, such as medical drones that can carry blood and instruments across long distances.

Yes, but: Major hurdles remain, including opaque "black box" AI decisions, bias in training data, unclear liability when systems fail and regulations that haven't caught up.

• Plus, robotic systems can cost millions, limiting access to large urban hospitals.

What's next

Medicine isn't the only realm being upended by AI. College students are switching gears because of AI's potential impact on work, according to newly released polling.

The big picture: College graduates are entering a job market that's been rocked by a massive tech evolution, reshaping career prospects for entry-level workers.

• And as the new survey from the Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation and Gallup notes, AI isn't just affecting how academics study — it's also shaping the studies they pursue.

By the numbers: Among currently enrolled college students, 14% have thought "a great deal," and 33% have thought "a fair amount" about changing their major or field of study because of the effect AI may have on the job market or on specific industries, the polling found.

• That thinking is higher among male students (60%) than among female students (38%) and among those studying technology (70%) and vocational fields (71%) compared to others, like business (54%), humanities (54%) and engineering (52%).
• 16% of students have changed their major because of the potential impact of AI, a trend higher among men (21%) than women (12%), and in vocational (26%) and tech (25%) majors.

What they're saying

🏀 The Indiana Fever lost two players in the WNBA expansion draft, with Kristy Wallace being selected by Toronto and Chloe Bibby going to Portland. (Yahoo Sports)

🚨 Indianapolis City-County Councilor Jesse Brown says he and other protestors were shoved by an IMPD officer during a rally outside Lucas Oil Stadium to oppose the NCAA's partnership with an airline used in ICE operations. (Fox59)

🪪 The state revoked CDLs from nearly all non-domiciled drivers, who are generally foreign nationals, as a new state law aimed at cracking down on the trucking industry's employment of immigrants without legal status takes effect.

• The BMV says nearly 1,800 people have been notified of the revocation. (Indiana Capital Chronicle)

👋 Arika here!

I went to one of Indy's best new restaurants for dinner last week and had the dining room virtually to myself.

Why it matters: It can only mean that not enough people know about the delicious Mexican and Peruvian food being served up in a strip mall on the city's northwest side.

Where to go: Macizo, which was opened by husband-and-wife duo Omar and Luz Gonza in late 2024.

• The menu blends food traditions from their respective Mexican and Peruvian backgrounds into something truly unique and special.

Between the lines: You don't have to take my word for it. The Gonzas were semifinalists for best chef in the Great Lakes region in this year's James Beard Awards (you know, the Oscars of the food world).

• They didn't make the final cut, but even being part of the conversation proves they're doing a lot of things right.

What to order: Anything with their homemade bread.

• Macizo makes focaccia and sourdough in-house, which is featured in several dishes and available as a side.
• I had the molletes — creamy, flavorful refried beans and cheese served on a huge slab of focaccia. The smoky and spicy homemade salsa macha was perfect drizzled over the top.
• It is served with chorizo, but Macizo is happy to accommodate vegetarians, swapping the meat for avocado. Chicken in the enchilada dishes can be swapped for beans or cheese.

If you go

The stage is set for the NCAA Men's National Championship game tonight at Lucas Oil Stadium and it's one of feast and famine.

Driving the news: No. 2 UConn is looking for its third championship in four seasons, while No. 1 Michigan is hoping to bring home the program's first national title since 1989.

Between the lines: Weather made life difficult this weekend, but thousands still descended on downtown for basketball and a whole lot more — concerts, a fan fest and even a Ferris wheel.

What's next: The championship game is tonight at 8:50pm.