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 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.

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.

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.

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.

‘Moonshot’ project aims to restore trust in the digital public sphere

Researchers have received a seed grant for $250,000 and a chance at a $10 million award to support a project aimed at using artificial intelligence to establish a foundation for trustworthy AI-mediated communication across online platforms.

artist rendering of robot in office setting

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AI’s Impact on Professional Work to be Examined by CAROW Yang-Tan Incubator Initiative

September 4, 2026

Much attention has been given to artificial intelligence displacing lower-skilled workers, but less is known about AI’s impact on professional work in high-skill fields, such as legal, finance, journalism and design, according to ILR Professor Sarosh Kuruvilla.

woman sitting on couch looking at laptop

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The Science Behind the Scroll: Donghui Li’s Path from Cornell Tech to TikTok

September 3, 2026

When a user discovers TikTok through an ad, a friend’s recommendation, or a chance scroll through the app store, it might feel like a simple moment. For Cornell Tech alumna Donghui Li, though, it’s a complex data problem hiding in plain sight — and solving it at global scale is what drives her.

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Cornell leads project putting robots to work in US orchards

September 3, 2026

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. 

This cartoon contrasts older ways of preventing protein activity with a newer degrader approach, which destroys and recycles the target. Image generated by Kimi AI on Aug. 19, 2026.

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Model Helps Scientists Build Better Protein-Degrading Therapies

September 1, 2026

A team of Weill Cornell Medicine investigators has developed a computer model that will help scientists more efficiently develop protein-destroying therapies, a newer type of treatment that is particularly promising for cancer. The study was published July 13 in Nature Communications.

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What happened when we put AI to work?

August 28, 2026

Thirty participants from 23 units across eight colleges gathered in early August to explore what an AI-enabled future of software development might look like at Cornell.  They expected to share tools, compare approaches, and test new ideas. Instead, many left talking about something else entirely: people.

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Campaign closes with record support for students and research

August 27, 2026

Cornell’s To Do the Greatest Good campaign surpassed its goal of raising more than $5 billion and engaging more than 200,000 alumni – achievements that will enhance opportunities for students and accelerate critical faculty research.

Via: Ars Technica

How Much of a Problem Is AI’s Water Use?

August 27, 2026

Fengqi You, energy systems expert at Cornell University, discusses methods to reduce AI data centers’ water use.

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Two Undergrads Are Using AI to Help Students Learn Calc and More

August 27, 2026

The Class of ’26 computer science majors are currently on leave to continue building their successful startup, MathGPT.

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‘Hitting dead ends and rethinking everything’ – BURE summer scholars explore research life

August 26, 2026

This summer, 60 undergraduates participated in the Bowers Undergraduate Research Experience, a 10-week, paid program where undergraduate students do real-world research alongside Bowers faculty.