Cornell Thought Summits

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Center for Data Science for Enterprise and Society

Cornell AI Initiative

Thought Summits @ Cornell

Shaping the Future of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

Thought Summits are dynamic forums hosted at Cornell University that bring together leaders and innovators to spark innovative collaborations in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.

Upcoming Summits

  • Environmental technology concept. Shutterstock

    Adapting to Climate Uncertainty through AI-Enabled Microbial System Design

    September 23 - September 25 at Cornell University – Ithaca, NY

    As climate challenges increasingly impact both natural and built environments, the Adapting to Climate Uncertainty through AI-Enabled Microbial System Design Thought Summit will convene leading thinkers from artificial intelligence, biology, and materials science to chart a roadmap for the AI-driven design of engineered microbial communities. Participants will explore how advances in predictive mo...

  • AI and Formal Methods

    October 12 - October 17 at Cornell University – Ithaca, NY

    Enabling Trustworthy Cross-Disciplinary Advances Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming scientific discovery, enabling breakthroughs in fields ranging from mathematics and physics to biology and computer science. Yet despite remarkable advances in automated reasoning, AI systems remain prone to errors and hallucinations that limit their reliability in scientific research and other high-st...

  • AI governance connects enterprise data, cloud and collaboration for trusted automation. Shutterstock

    AI & Worker Voice

    October 12 - October 16 at Cornell University – Ithaca, NY

    Building Bridges Towards Worker-Centered Design, Implementation, and Governance of AI As artificial intelligence reshapes workplaces across industries, ensuring that its benefits are shared broadly and equitably has become an urgent challenge. The Worker-Centered AI: Advancing Equitable Design, Adoption, and Governance Thought Summit will bring together researchers, policymakers, labor leaders, in...

  • A color image of the human eye, zoomed in, with 1s and 0s making the color of the eye. Shutterstock

    HUMAN AI Collaboration, Creativity and Critical Thinking

    March 23, 2027 @ 8:00 am - March 25, 2027 @ 5:00 pm at Cornell University – Ithaca, NY

    A Thought Summit on the Transformation of Education in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming how knowledge is created, interpreted, and evaluated across disciplines. Unlike previous educational technologies that primarily expanded access or automated routine tasks, today’s AI systems increasingly participate in reasoning, representation, and decision-...

  • Tan dog laying down on the ground with healthy icons. Shutterstock

    AI for Animal Communication

    June 14, 2027 - June 16, 2027 at Cornell University – Ithaca, NY

    Planned for June 2027 at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, this three-day interdisciplinary summit will convene approximately 40 leading researchers from Cornell and institutions around the world to explore one of the most ambitious challenges in communication science and artificial intelligence: understanding communication systems without the linguistic assumptions that underpin human speech recogn...

Past Summits Archive

Previous Summits

  • Building Benchmarks for AI-Driven Veterinary Innovation

    June 9 - June 11

    This summit will bring together experts from veterinary medicine, computer science, ethics, and law to tackle the unique challenges of creating standardized, high-quality datasets tailored to veterinary needs.

  • Community-Centered AI

    May 18 - May 20

    Bringing together researchers, practitioners, and community members, the three-day convening will tackle AI's core problem – its massive carbon footprint, displacement of local expertise, and violations of community consent – through collaborative workshops, participatory algorithm auditing, and solution-generating discussions.

  • Data Science to Build Resilience and Improve Humanitarian Response

    May 11 - May 15

    By connecting philanthropies and the private sector with Cornell expertise across computer, information, natural and social sciences, the summit aims to spark new research, collaborations, and funding pathways that bring cutting-edge data tools into real-world humanitarian decision-making.

Summits Archive

Each summit is a fully funded, 3–5 day symposium generally held on Cornell’s Ithaca campus. A select group of Cornell faculty convenes with approximately 20 distinguished experts from academia, government, industry, and non-profit sectors.

Together, they explore bold ideas, identify emerging research frontiers, and lay the groundwork for transformative, multi-institutional partnerships.

Why Thought Summits Matter

Catalyzing Innovation

By uniting diverse perspectives, Thought Summits uncover novel intersections between AI, Data Science, and real-world challenges.

Driving Impact

Each summit produces a strategic whitepaper that serves as a launchpad for large-scale, externally funded research initiatives.

Building Community

These gatherings foster lasting relationships across institutions and sectors, accelerating the pace of discovery and application.

News & Information

Thought Summits for the 2025-2026 academic year have been reviewed, awarded, and scheduled. Thank you to all who submitted proposals.

Summit Outcomes

The Thought Summits convene visionary leaders, researchers, and innovators to explore the frontiers of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. We have gathered the key outcomes of these gatherings — white papers and strategic insights that capture the collective expertise and forward-thinking solutions generated during the summits.

See Outcomes

Whether you’re a researcher, policymaker, or industry leader, Thought Summits offer a unique opportunity to shape the future of intelligent systems and data-driven solutions

Want to get involved?

Ready to chart the future? All Cornell University faculty are invited to apply. The next call for proposals will open in February 2027.

CFP Details