Position Title: AI Optimization Intern
Company Description: Most organizations know AI matters. Few know how to actually integrate it. This internship exists to close that gap inside one of the most dynamic innovation ecosystems in the Southeast.
The UNC Office of the Chief Innovation Officer is deploying a cohort of four AI Optimization Interns—each embedded within a distinct unit of Innovate Carolina—to accelerate AI adoption, upgrade workflows, and demonstrate what operating at the frontier actually looks like in practice. Units include the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), KickStart Venture Services, Communications, Innovation Junction, and the Partnerships team.
Company Website: https://innovate.unc.edu/
Internship Job Description:

This is not an IT support role. You will not be setting up software or writing user guides for reluctant adopters. You will be doing the work yourself—building, automating, generating, and optimizing—and then teaching teams how to sustain what you’ve built. You’ll have access to the highest-tier AI tools available: Claude Opus, GPT-4o, Gemini Ultra, Perplexity Pro, Midjourney, Runway, Sora, ElevenLabs, and GitHub Copilot, among others. The expectation is that you know how to use them, push them to their limits, and develop judgment about when to use which.
Each intern will be assigned a primary unit and will operate as that unit’s embedded AI practitioner for the summer. Collectively, the cohort will meet weekly to share discoveries, cross-pollinate techniques, and build a shared playbook for AI adoption across Innovate Carolina.

Responsibilities
•Conduct an AI readiness audit of your assigned unit: map existing workflows, identify high-leverage automation opportunities, and prioritize a summer improvement roadmap
•Design and implement AI-assisted workflows using best-in-class tools—automating repetitive tasks, streamlining communications, accelerating content production, and reducing time-to-output across the unit
•Produce high-quality AI-generated and AI-assisted deliverables: documents, reports, presentations, website content, graphics, 3D renderings, video, and audio as needed by the unit
•Develop and maintain prompt libraries, workflow templates, and tool guides that teams can use independently after the internship ends
•Train staff and stakeholders in your unit on effective AI use—not just what the tools can do, but how to get consistently strong outputs
•Stay current with the AI landscape; brief the team weekly on relevant new tools, model updates, or emerging use cases that warrant attention
•Collaborate with the full AI intern cohort weekly to share techniques, compare unit needs, and develop a cross-Innovate Carolina AI best practices playbook
•Document impact: track time saved, output quality improvements, and capability shifts as a result of AI integration in your unit
Type and Timing of Internship:
Flexible, during
Summer
Approximate Start and End Dates:
2026-05-18T00:00:00Z to 2026-08-14T00:00:00Z
Internship Location: The Junction 136 East Rosemary Street
Paid or Unpaid: Yes –
Application Instructions:
2026-05-01T00:00:00Z
Please submit your resume and a sample project that demonstrates your abilities.
Primary Contact Email: innovate@unc.edu