Research
AI is Here. What Lies Ahead?
The Columbia AI Summit brought together thousands of researchers, technologists, and students for a day of vital conversations about the development — and impact — of artificial intelligence.
Experts from across Columbia University and around the world gathered on the University’s three campuses March 4 to discuss the progress, deployment, and social impact of AI systems.
In her welcoming remarks, Provost Angela V. Olinto looked to nature to illustrate the growing impact of artificial intelligence.
“We're swimming towards one of the biggest waves in technologies that my generation has seen,” said Olinto, who is also a professor of astronomy and physics. “Columbia is a leader in this great rush to develop AI and ensure it is developed responsibly, for the benefit of all of us on this wonderful planet.”
Interim President Katrina Armstrong emphasized how the summit illustrates Columbia’s mission as a university.
“I cannot imagine a better example of Columbia’s ability to contribute to society than these discussions,” she said, pointing to the difficult questions that AI raises for intellectual property, labor markets, investment, and the social good.
For Shih-Fu Chang, dean of Columbia Engineering, the summit offered an opportunity to share the university’s commitment to developing and applying AI systems in the interest of humanity.
“The Columbia AI Initiative is centered around a unique approach called AI + X, which highlights our disciplinary breadth and depth,” said Chang, who is the Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor of Engineering and a professor of electrical engineering and of computer science.
“Our goal is to leverage our collective strength to advance our core missions as a university: research, education, and innovation.”
The AI Summit was organized by Columbia AI, a new initiative that aims to promote Columbia’s work on artificial intelligence. Columbia AI is led by Data Science Institute Director Garud Iyengar, in partnership with Dean Chang and Executive Vice President for Research Jeannette Wing.
New Frontiers of AI
Faculty from Columbia Engineering kicked off the University-wide event with a series of lightning talks that explored the technical foundations of AI systems.
Moderator Vishal Misra, professor of computer science and vice dean of computing and AI at Columbia Engineering, told the audience that despite the tremendous progress in AI over recent years, “we still haven’t experienced what it’s really going to change about our lives.”
The following Columbia Engineering faculty participated in the session:
- Christos Papadimitriou, Donovan Family Professor of Computer Science; Provost's Senior Faculty Teaching Scholar
- Yunzhu Li, assistant professor of computer science
- Elias Bareinboim, associate professor of computer science
- Richard Zemel, Trianthe Dakolias Professor of Engineering and Applied Science; professor of computer science
Read more or watch the session.
Will Machines Have Free Will? Shaping the Future of AI
Rachel Cummings, associate professor of industrial engineering and operations research, joined experts in public policy, law, and business to discuss a profound question: How can we govern AI’s place in our shared future?
“As we talk about privacy in the space of AI, we’re in a Wild West in the sense that we don’t have laws or even cultural norms or expectations,” said Cummings, who is co-chair of the Cybersecurity Research Center at the Data Science Institute. “We see people providing very sensitive information — emotional, financial, personal — to AI tools. It’s really unclear what’s happening to those data.”
Watch the session or read more.
AI Demo Session
Columbia Engineering welcomed hundreds of guests to view demonstrations of current AI research and technology, including biomedical applications, innovative architectures, and embodied intelligence on a dexterous robot hand.
“The wide range of technologies in this room show the importance of foundational advancement and interdisciplinary collaboration in solving our most difficult problems,” said Dean Shih-Fu Chang.
Inside Columbia Engineering’s Demo Session
Video Credit: Jane Nisselson
Ethics of AI in Urban Tech
The Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3) hosted a panel on the ethical dimensions of collecting data in the physical world. The experts discussed the problem of insufficient privacy laws and the potential for cutting-edge solutions through better data governance.
“We’ve had data collection for many years, but rapid advancement in AI has caused the scale of collection to increase tremendously,” said privacy researcher Roxana Geambasu, who leads the center’s research on security and privacy. “To protect privacy, you have to be very careful about what you collect in the first place.”
The following Columbia Engineering faculty also participated in the session:
- Henning Schulzrinne, Julian Clarence Levi Professor of Mathematical Methods and Computer Science; professor of electrical engineering
- Andrew Smyth, Robert A. W. and Christine S. Carleton Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
- Roxana Geambasu, associate professor of computer science
Watch the session.
The Columbia Class of 2035: Will We Need To Reinvent Higher Education?
In this interactive session, Vishal Misra and colleagues from across the University led a discussion that considered how AI may change the teaching and learning landscape in higher education.
In recorded remarks, Dean Shih-Fu Chang focused the conversation by emphasizing the importance of using AI as a tool, not a replacement for thought.
“The key question is: How do we use AI not to hinder or replace collaboration, but to enhance creativity, cooperation, and efficiency between humans and machines?” he said.
From Chaos to Code: How AI Can Tame the Climate Crisis
Climate disasters are rarely isolated. From urban firestorms to inland flooding, extreme weather events set off cascading failures that compromise built infrastructure and socio-economic systems, as well as natural ecosystems. Researchers from Columbia Engineering sat alongside experts in public policy, ecology, and climate science to consider how AI is emerging as a useful tool in supporting disaster preparedness and building resilience.
George Deodatis, vice dean for research at Columbia Engineering, Santiago and Robertina Calatrava Family Professor of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, and professor of earth and environmental engineering, pointed to the importance of AI in assisting to understand risk under changing conditions of uncertainty.
With climate change making it “an order of magnitude” more difficult to assess the risk of hazards, we are relying on artificial intelligence approaches in order to establish models that can quantify — in a probabilistic way — the occurrence and intensity of these extreme events over time,” he said.
The following Columbia Engineering faculty also participated in the session:
- Bolun Xu, assistant professor of earth and environmental engineering
- Adam Sobel, professor of applied physics and applied mathematics and of earth and environmental sciences.
Watch the session or read more.
ChatCEO: How AI is Influencing Leadership and Labor
Business leaders increasingly leverage AI tools for everything from automating rote tasks to supporting vital decisions. In this panel, computer scientist Lydia Chilton joined leaders in business, journalism, economics, and international affairs to examine what AI means for leadership and labor markets in an increasingly complex global economy.
Chilton emphasized the rapid pace of improvement, noting that she had rarely used AI tools in her own work until the release of DeepSeek.
“The goal with AI is that a user can get the computer to do what they want just by expressing intent,” she said, noting that the goal won’t be achieved for some time.
“Disruption just is, and we get to live with it,” she said. “Try to be the one creating it rather than the one living with it.”
Watch the session or read more.
Closing Keynote: Sami Haddadin
In his keynote address, roboticist and AI researcher Sami Haddadin shared his vision for an advanced robotic brain capable of sensing and responding to the dynamic physical world, interacting safely and intelligently, and learning from experience.
“We are entering an era where AI is no longer confined to screens and datasets but will actively contribute to discoveries in the physical world,” he said. “Just as telescopes and microscopes expanded our ability to observe the universe, embodied AI could be the next great tool to extend human potential.”
Watch the keynote or read an excerpt from Dean Chang’s conversation with Haddadin.