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

Project to rebuild trust in AI era lands Laude’s $10M ‘moonshot’ award

A $10 million “moonshot” grant from Laude Institute will help Cornell researchers realize the potential of artificial intelligence, while giving online communities control over AI’s role.

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New initiative will explore AI’s role in society, humanities

With AI transforming how societies function, a new program in the College of Arts and Sciences aims to meet the urgent need to understand AI’s implications for culture, governance, ethics, communication, creativity, labor and social organization.

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

October 19, 2026

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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Cornell Tech professor’s startup receives $1.75 million to improve AI efficiency

October 16, 2026

Makora, a startup founded by assistant professor Mohamed Abdelfattah, has received a $1.75 million award from the National Science Foundation-supported STRIDE Ventures AI Efficiency Challenge.

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$7.5M grant to establish foundations for visual computing with light

October 15, 2026

The work is paving the way for hybrid optical-electronic systems that could reduce the energy and computational resources required for AI-driven image analysis and other visual inference tasks.

Via: New York Times

When A.I. Comes for Your Purpose in Life

October 14, 2026

Steven Strogatz, a Cornell University mathematics professor, discusses the impact of artificial intelligence on mathematicians’ sense of purpose.

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From farm to kitchen, Ficio is teaching robots about food

October 13, 2026

Ficio, a startup founded by Youhanna Meleka, M.Eng. ’26, is developing an AI platform for the food supply chain that can run on different machines and tackle very different jobs – from sorting apples in an orchard to turning potatoes into french fries.

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AI tool makes culturally appropriate lessons for teachers in India

October 8, 2026

Overworked teachers in southern India have a new tool, developed by Cornell researchers, for educating their students: Shiksha Copilot, an AI system that generates culturally relevant lesson plans for schools with few resources.

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Cornell mathematicians win grants to ensure AI safety, research integrity

October 5, 2026

As mathematicians work through challenges related to AI, Cornell math faculty members are leading the field with work integrating AI into math and mathematics into AI.

Medicine doctor hand working with modern computer interface as medical concept

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Weill Cornell Medicine Launches Dean’s AI to Advance Medicine Initiative Fellowship Program

October 5, 2026

The Dean’s AI to Advance Medicine Initiative Fellowship Program, or FAIMI, supports early-career faculty pursuing innovative artificial intelligence projects with the potential to advance biomedical research, clinical care, healthcare delivery, and biomedical education.

Kids holding phones

Via: Associated Press

AI Safety for Kids: Lessons From Efforts to Address Social Media Addiction

October 5, 2026

Sarah Kreps, professor and director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute, discusses the complexities of regulating artificial intelligence for minors compared to social media.