Feb
12
2026
Past EventFeb 12, 2026
AI Initiative Campus Event
–
Event Overview
Please join us to learn more about the vision for the UChicago AI Initiative, including presentations on pedagogical innovation supported by the AI and Education Working Group, along with brief overviews from each of ten inaugural AI research areas. These research areas, grouped by four themes, play a critical role in establishing UChicago’s distinctive contributions to AI research. Learn more about the areas here (CNet required). A panel discussion from Initiative leadership concludes the program.
Boxed lunches will be provided at the start of the event.
Space is limited. Please RSVP soon.
Agenda
Thursday, February 12, 2026
1:00 PM
Welcome Remarks
- President Paul Alivisatos (via video), Chemistry, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and the College
- Rebecca Willett, Statistics, Computer Science, and the College
1:15 PM
AI and Education Session
- Introduction and Welcome Remarks from Emily Lynn Osborn, African History, African Studies, and the College
- Fooling Ourselves Less with AI? Supporting Students to Improve, Not Diminish, their Reasoning Skills (Julia Koschinsky, Center for Spatial Data Science)
- Rethinking Language Placement: How AI Can Improve Spanish and Italian Testing (Sara Dallavalle, Romance Languages and Literatures)
- Supporting Collaborative Learning with Customized AI Tutors in Introductory Economics Courses (Fulya Ersoy and Tomer Yehoshua-Sandak, Economics and the College)
- Creating Teaching Materials to Introduce First-Year Law Students to the Effective and Ethical Use of AI (William H. J. Hubbard, Law School)
- Designing Friction to Promote Mindful Use of LLMs (Mina Lee, Computer Science)
2:00 PM
Research Session 1
- Culture and Creativity in an AI-Empowered Society (moderated by Chris Kennedy, Linguistics)
- AI and Human-Environment History: Ancient Cultures, Modern Insights (Timothy P. Harrison, Near Eastern Archaeology, ISAC)
- Human-Machine Creativity (Jason Salavon, Visual Arts)
- Learning the Rules of Life and the Universe (moderated by Kevin Corlette, Mathematics)
- New Forms of Socio-Cognitive AI (James Evans, Sociology)
- Science Labs That Only AI Can Build (Abigail Vieregg, Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Enrico Fermi Institute, Kavli Institute, and the College)
- From Cells to Organs with AI (Margaret Gardel, Physics, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, Molecular Genetics & Cell Biology)
2:45 PM
Break
3:00 PM
Research Session 2
- AI for Resilient and Adaptive Societies (moderated by James Evans, Sociology)
- Jobs and Property Impacts of AI (Anders Humlum, Economics, Chicago Booth)
- AI Innovations in Markets and Governance (Nicole Marwell, Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice)
- AI Models of Climate and Sustainable Growth (Pedram Hassanzadeh, Geophysical Sciences)
- AI in the Service of Therapeutics (moderated by Veronika Ročková, Chicago Booth)
- AI-Driven Cancer Drug Discovery (Rick Stevens, Computer Science)
- AI-Based Biological Design (Rama Ranganathan, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, and the College)
3:45 PM
Closing Panel
- Moderated by Dan Nicolae, Statistics, Human Genetics, Medicine, and the College Section of Genetic Medicine
- Henry Hoffmann, Computer Science
- Patrick Jagoda, English Language and Literature, Cinema and Media Studies, Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Emily Lynn Osborn, African History, African Studies, and the College
- Veronika Ročková, Chicago Booth
- Rebecca Willett, Statistics, Computer Science, and the College
- Closing remarks by Provost Katherine Baicker, Harris School of Public Policy
4:15 PM
Reception
Aug
8
Past EventAug 08, 2025
DSI Summer Programs 2025: Research Symposium
May
2
Past EventMay 02, 2025
UnCommon Core | AI and the Future of Work with Career Advancement
Nov
4
Upcoming EventNov 04, 2024
Esteban Real (Google DeepMind): Automatically Discovering Learning Algorithms with Hardware Constraints
Nov
8
Past EventNov 08, 2024