Thought Summits @ Cornell
Shaping the Future of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
Thought Summits are dynamic forums hosted at Cornell University that bring together leaders and innovators to spark innovative collaborations in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
Upcoming Summits
Adapting to Climate Uncertainty through AI-Enabled Microbial System Design
December 8 - December 10 at Cornell University – Ithaca, NYThis Thought Summit will bring together researchers across AI, microbial systems, climate resilience, infrastructure, materials engineering, and agriculture to explore AI-driven design of engineered microbial communities. The convening will identify promising research directions, applications, and collaborations around climate resilience, including flood protection, resilient crops, housing, and a...
AI and Formal Methods
January 19, 2027 - January 21, 2027 at Cornell University – Ithaca, NYEnabling Trustworthy Cross-Disciplinary Advances The current era of Artificial Intelligence has demonstrated models powerful enough to catalyze major theoretical advances across fields like mathematics, physics, and biology through automated reasoning. Despite this power, frequent ”hallucinations” severely limit the usefulness of large language models as reliable scientific collaborators. To r...
HUMAN AI Collaboration, Creativity and Critical Thinking
March 22, 2027 - March 24, 2027 at Cornell University – Ithaca, NYThis interdisciplinary Thought Summit will examine how AI is reconfiguring education across three domains: cognition and learning, creative practices, and evaluation and institutional knowledge systems. Unlike prior technologies, AI actively shapes reasoning and creativity, raising tensions between expanding capabilities and diminishing critical thinking. The summit will integrate cognition, creat...
AI for Animal Communication
March 29, 2027 - April 2, 2027 at Cornell University – Ithaca, NYImagine a visitor from another planet listening to Earth without knowing any language. What in the sound alone would tell them that humans speak and other animals do not? This is a real scientific problem, and it is now becoming tractable. Large datasets and AI powered tools are revealing structure in vocalizations of socially sophisticated animals like cetaceans, bats and birds that have defied c...
AI & Worker Voice
May 24, 2027 - May 26, 2027 at Cornell University – Ithaca, NYBuilding Bridges Towards Worker-Centered Design, Implementation, and Governance of AI New artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are being integrated into a range of workplaces—from warehouse work to nursing to fashion modeling—with promises to dramatically transform the landscape of work. Yet the highly disparate ways in which AI systems are designed, implemented, and governed within organ...
Previous Summits
Building Benchmarks for AI-Driven Veterinary Innovation
June 9 - June 11This summit will bring together experts from veterinary medicine, computer science, ethics, and law to tackle the unique challenges of creating standardized, high-quality datasets tailored to veterinary needs.
Community-Centered AI
May 18 - May 20Bringing together researchers, practitioners, and community members, the three-day convening will tackle AI's core problem – its massive carbon footprint, displacement of local expertise, and violations of community consent – through collaborative workshops, participatory algorithm auditing, and solution-generating discussions.
Data Science to Build Resilience and Improve Humanitarian Response
May 11 - May 15By connecting philanthropies and the private sector with Cornell expertise across computer, information, natural and social sciences, the summit aims to spark new research, collaborations, and funding pathways that bring cutting-edge data tools into real-world humanitarian decision-making.
Each summit is a fully funded, 3–5 day symposium generally held on Cornell’s Ithaca campus. A select group of Cornell faculty convenes with approximately 20 distinguished experts from academia, government, industry, and non-profit sectors.
Together, they explore bold ideas, identify emerging research frontiers, and lay the groundwork for transformative, multi-institutional partnerships.
Why Thought Summits Matter
Catalyzing Innovation
By uniting diverse perspectives, Thought Summits uncover novel intersections between AI, Data Science, and real-world challenges.
Driving Impact
Each summit produces a strategic whitepaper that serves as a launchpad for large-scale, externally funded research initiatives.
Building Community
These gatherings foster lasting relationships across institutions and sectors, accelerating the pace of discovery and application.
News & Information
Thought Summits for the 2025-2026 academic year have been reviewed, awarded, and scheduled. Thank you to all who submitted proposals.
Summit Outcomes
The Thought Summits convene visionary leaders, researchers, and innovators to explore the frontiers of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. We have gathered the key outcomes of these gatherings — white papers and strategic insights that capture the collective expertise and forward-thinking solutions generated during the summits.
Whether you’re a researcher, policymaker, or industry leader, Thought Summits offer a unique opportunity to shape the future of intelligent systems and data-driven solutions
Want to get involved?
Ready to chart the future? All Cornell University faculty are invited to apply. The next call for proposals will open in February 2027.