Cornell University

Cornell AI Initiative

Latest stories, updates, and announcements that highlight the people, research, and progress of AI throughout Cornell.

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AI Headlines from Around the University

New CoPAIR program connects Cornell researchers with AI tools, training and community

The new Communities of Practice for AI-enabled Research (CoPAIR) program gives researchers access to emerging AI tools, hands-on training and collaborative communities where they can share best practices, develop disciplinary norms for appropriate AI use and non-use, and evaluate new tools for research. 

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‘A seat at the table’: Cornell expands access to multiple AI tools for faculty, staff, students

Most faculty, staff and students will have free access to a range of AI platforms – an effort to level the playing field, spur exploration and reduce the costs and vulnerabilities of individual consumer licenses.

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Cute robots, historical chatbots: AI in the classroom grows more sophisticated

Instructors across Cornell are working to strike a balance in the classroom – using AI as a teaching tool but also making choices to prevent its use and preserve the learning experience.

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Any student, any major: ‘Everyday AI’ course to launch spring 2027

In spring 2027, Cornell Bowers will launch a new course that is open to all entitled, “Everyday AI: Learning to use AI effectively and responsibly.” 

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Who is Elias the lighthouse keeper? AI fiction tells the same old story

For AI agents instructed to write fiction, that tale usually involves lighthouses and a keeper named Elias, according to new Cornell research. 

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Regular audits would build trust, confidence in AI

May 13, 2026

J. Nathan Matias, assistant professor of communication, is a co-author of “Auditing AI,” which offers AI users from all walks of life an introduction into AI evaluation, which is key for developing trust in the technology.

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What does it mean to train an AI to speak like you?

May 4, 2026

Ultra-personalized AI for assisted communication risks muting aspects of the user’s identity and can breach privacy, according to a study from a Cornell Tech doctoral student who trained the technology on himself.

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Entrepreneurial students win awards for summer work on their startups

May 1, 2026

Thirty student startups received Human Spirit, Beck Fellows and Cane Entrepreneurial Scholars awards this summer from Entrepreneurship at Cornell, funding that will allow students to work on their startups rather than take traditional summer positions.

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Cornell Tech announces the 2026 Startup Awards and the Inaugural Frontiers of AI Summit

May 1, 2026

As the 2025–26 academic year comes to a close, Cornell Tech will host a series of events throughout May showcasing student achievement, entrepreneurship, design, and the future of emerging technologies.

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Humanities scholars tackle research across disciplines

April 29, 2026

The work of the Humanities scholars spans across humanities fields and also highlights intersections with science, technology, business, law and other disciplines. 

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Teaching AI to operate particle accelerators with DOE grant

April 22, 2026

Georg Hoffstaetter de Torquat, professor of physics, is leading a $2.9 million Department of Energy grant project to train AI systems on computer models of two accelerators at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

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Course: Understanding and using the superpowers of AI

April 22, 2026

New Online Course for High School and College Students

Cornell university skyline with blue skies

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AI & Society Seed Grants

April 22, 2026

Internal funding to support social science and humanities research on the societal impacts of AI.
Deadline: August 15, 2026.

Robot arm holding a strawberry

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Handle with care: Soft robot gripper picks ripe fruit without bruising

April 20, 2026

Cornell researchers used stretchable fiber-optic sensors to create a soft robot gripper that can predict the ripeness of strawberries by touch, then pick them without causing any damage.