Cornell University has selected five interdisciplinary teams to lead research summits on artificial intelligence and data science, with topics ranging from climate resilience and animal communication to how AI affects workers, learning and creativity.
The 2026-27 Thought Summits run from December through May. Participation in the working sessions is by invitation, but each summit will include a public talk or discussion open to the Cornell and Ithaca communities, according to a Nov. 12 Cornell announcement.
The Cornell AI Initiative and the Cornell Center for Data Science for Enterprise and Society are providing funding. Each summit is a fully funded, multiday symposium at Cornell that brings faculty together with invited experts from academia, government, industry and nonprofit organizations.
Participants will develop white papers and strategic insights outlining research opportunities, challenges and possible directions for collaboration across institutions.
Five summits scheduled through May
- Adapting to Climate Uncertainty through AI-Enabled Microbial System Design, Dec. 8-10, 2026: Researchers will explore how AI could help design engineered microbial communities for applications related to climate resilience.
- AI and Formal Methods, Jan. 19-21, 2027: Experts will work on a research agenda connecting AI with mathematically grounded verification methods. The focus is on combining AI’s ability to recognize patterns with methods that can establish whether results are correct.
- HUMAN AI Collaboration, Creativity and Critical Thinking, March 22-24, 2027: The summit will examine AI’s effects on cognition and learning, creative practices, evaluation and institutional knowledge systems.
- AI for Animal Communication, March 29-April 2, 2027: Participants will consider how AI and large datasets can reveal structure in animal vocalizations, including those of cetaceans, bats and birds.
- Building Bridges Towards Worker-Centered Design, Implementation, and Governance of AI, May 24-26, 2027: The discussion will focus on developing and deploying AI in ways that support workers, strengthen organizations and promote democratic values.
Building research partnerships across disciplines
David Shmoys, director of the data science center and a professor in Cornell’s Duffield College of Engineering, said the gatherings make room for conversations that often do not occur within traditional academic disciplines. Bringing together people from different sectors can help researchers identify emerging questions and establish relationships needed to address complex AI challenges, he said.
Thorsten Joachims, Cornell’s vice provost for AI strategy and director of the AI Initiative and Radical Collaboration, said the summits target both pressing challenges and new research opportunities where Cornell can contribute thought leadership.
Earlier summits have addressed standardized, high-quality datasets for veterinary applications and questions about AI governance, including who benefits from AI systems, who bears their costs and who helps shape them.
Cornell directs readers to thoughtsummits.cornell.edu for information about upcoming and past summits, white papers and the next call for proposals. The announcement does not provide individual public talk times, venues or registration details.
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