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Cornell University is proactively introducing a comprehensive suite of new artificial intelligence (AI) tools to its faculty, students, and staff. This strategic move, a result of extensive preparation through the Cornell AI Initiative, underscores the university's commitment to advancing scholarship, teaching, and public engagement. The initiative aims to equip the Cornell community with essential AI skills while ensuring the responsible, appropriate, and mission-aligned use of these powerful technologies. The rollout will be supported by ongoing efforts across four critical areas: education, research, workplace innovation, and public engagement, establishing Cornell as a leader in ethical and human-centered AI development and application.
Cornell's AI initiative places a strong emphasis on integrating AI literacy and skills into its academic curriculum. Key efforts include the mandatory AI Critical Literacy Program for all first-year students, ensuring a foundational understanding of AI's implications and ethical considerations. Additionally, new courses and academic minors specifically focused on AI are being developed for launch in the upcoming academic year to provide in-depth study opportunities. To support faculty in this evolving landscape, specialized AI Integration Pilots, the AI Experimenter Faculty Fellows Program, and the AI Undergraduate Fellows program are actively assisting instructors in redesigning their courses. These programs either encourage the innovative incorporation of AI tools where beneficial or guide faculty in deliberately limiting AI use when pedagogical objectives require it, fostering a nuanced and thoughtful approach to AI in learning.
Advancing AI-enabled research responsibly and effectively is a cornerstone of Cornell's strategy. The newly established Communities of Practice for AI-enabled Research (CoPAIR) program serves as a collaborative platform, enabling researchers from various fields to collectively develop and share tailored norms and best practices for their specific disciplines. To further ensure ethical conduct and integrity in scholarly pursuits, a draft AI research integrity policy has been implemented, providing a clear framework for responsible AI use. Beyond policy, Cornell is actively fostering new research through critical "Thought Summits" that examine AI's broader societal role, offering seed grants to innovative projects, expanding access to high-performance computing resources through the Empire AI consortium, and providing new AI fellowships for early-career faculty, particularly at Weill Cornell Medicine, thereby driving groundbreaking discoveries and responsible innovation.
Cornell is dedicated to leveraging AI to enhance operational efficiency, streamline administrative processes, and foster a culture of innovation within its administrative and support functions. The new AI@Work program, housed within the AI Innovation Hub, is designed to be a bottom-up initiative, empowering staff members—those most familiar with daily operations and specific departmental needs—to actively shape how AI tools are identified, adapted, and deployed across the university. This program encourages practical application and experimentation, with impressive results already visible through more than 35 staff-led projects currently underway. These projects span various departments and functions, demonstrating a widespread commitment to utilizing AI to improve workflows, enhance services, and create a more efficient and responsive university environment.
Extending its commitment beyond campus, Cornell is harnessing the power of AI for broader societal benefit through various public engagement initiatives. One significant effort involves building specialized AI agents to support the vital work of Cornell Cooperative Extension, enhancing its outreach, educational programs, and service delivery to communities across New York State, making information and resources more accessible. Furthermore, Cornell is actively collaborating with the City of Ithaca to develop AI solutions that make public records, such as city council resolutions and other important civic documents, more easily searchable, organized, and accessible to citizens, promoting transparency and civic participation. The PiTech fellows program also plays a crucial role, placing talented individuals with New York City agencies and nonprofits to apply advanced AI techniques and data science expertise to address pressing urban challenges and fulfill their respective missions, thereby demonstrating AI's tangible positive impact on society.