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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

Cornell leads project putting robots to work in US orchards

A Cornell-led research project is developing robots that can perform labor-intensive orchard operations; it’s supported by a four-year, $7.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative. 

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Cornell expands AI Critical Literacy Program for incoming students

After a successful pilot launch in the spring, Cornell’s AI Critical Literacy Program will be offered in the fall to all incoming students as well as other interested students, faculty members and staff.

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Strike a pose: Creating more realistic multi-person images

A Cornell research group has devised a way to generate an image of multiple people, incorporating the poses of all individuals to inform the image generation and make the scene more believable and accurate.

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Weak AI regulation may backfire, making products less safe

A new modeling study finds no regulation of AI products and services may be safer than weak regulation.

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Inside baseball: AI-enabled enforcement tech takes time, testing

Training artificial intelligence to enforce even seemingly straightforward rules – like balls and strikes in Major League Baseball – is a messy, dynamic process that takes time and careful evaluation of the technology.

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A&S offers new science, technology and society major

September 14, 2026

An innovative major in the College of Arts & Sciences is being expanded and refined to highlight its combination of science, social science and the humanities and its relevance to careers today.

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Can AI boost open-mindedness? Team wins $1.49M grant to find out

September 14, 2026

A $1.49 million award from the John Templeton Foundation will enable Cornell researchers Gordon Pennycook and David Rand ’04 to explore whether artificial intelligence can be used to understand and increase open-mindedness.

Feet of people wearing scrubs

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How Will AI Impact the Future of the Clinical Workforce?

September 12, 2026

Contrary to some predictions, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) agents could lead to more, not fewer, health care professionals working in the United States, according to a new article by a physician and health policy researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine who surveyed economic theory and the history of technology in health care.

Image from news story

Via: Associated Press

Anthropic Says It Blocked Efforts to Use Its AI for Weapons Research

September 11, 2026

John Thickstun, an assistant professor of computer science, addressed the challenges AI companies face in making societal value judgments without democratic oversight.

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Good vibes: Phones promote shared space, not silos, in Arts Quad installation

September 10, 2026

“Vibe Coating” integrates green-screen technology and AI to visualize participants’ prompts as an immersive, continuously changing environment.

From article, vote button as globe

Via: Axios

September 10, 2026

Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell’s Tech Policy Institute, comments on voters’ desire for authenticity and skepticism toward AI-generated content in political ads.

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Cornell Unplugged encourages mindful tech use, social connection

September 9, 2026

New event asks the community to decrease technology use, increase face-to-face interaction and consider that every AI chat, doomscroll and text message has a water, energy and carbon footprint. 

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Cornellians to address AI, NY energy future at Climate Week NYC

September 9, 2026

Cornell and global leaders will come together at Climate Week NYC Sept. 20-27 to discuss some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges, including harnessing AI’s power while mitigating its negative impacts.

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AI reveals new class of cellular ‘off switch’ linked to cancer pathways

September 9, 2026

Cornell researchers have used artificial intelligence to uncover a previously unknown way cells control how proteins move inside them, a process essential for growth, communication and movement, and one that is often disrupted in cancer.