Scientists are already using generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to draft papers, analyze data and generate hypotheses, but how is this technology changing the process of scientific discovery, and what should be its role going forward?

To explore these questions, the Assessing and Imagining the Impact of Generative AI on Science Symposium will feature diverse experts from across Cornell, academia and industry engaging in discussions of how GenAI is being used in research, and the implications for policy, funding and the public trust.

The symposium will be held March 3-5 in Gates Hall and the Computing and Information Science Building.

“GenAI has tremendous potential to reveal new insights, but it is vital that we move beyond anecdotes to systematically assess its impact, and take an active hand in how its use in science unfolds in the future,” said Yian Yin, assistant professor of information science in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.

Yin is co-leading the symposium with AJ Alvero, assistant research professor in the Center for Data Science for Enterprise and Society.

“Generative AI is now incorporated into the workflow for many scholars across many disciplines, but the broader scientific community would benefit from taking stock of how this technology could truly benefit our work and how it might distract,” Alvero said. “We hope the symposium can provide clarity.”

Three events are open to the Cornell community and scholars from across the sciences and humanities – both supporters and detractors of the technology – are invited to attend.

The first panel, Tracking, Understanding and Governing AI, will be held March 3 from 9-11 a.m. in Computing and Information Science Building 142, and will explore how generative AI is currently used in research, and how such use can be responsibly governed. Register for the panel here.

Thorsten Joachims, vice provost for artificial intelligence strategy and the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor in the departments of Computer Science and of Information Science, will give the opening remarks. David Mimno, professor and chair of information science, Cornell Bowers, will moderate. Panelists will include:

• Maria Antoniak, assistant professor of computer science, University of Colorado, Boulder;
• Chaoqun Ni, associate professor, The Information School, University of Wisconsin, Madison;
• Paul Ginsparg, professor of information science and physics, founder of arXiv, Cornell Bowers, College of Arts and Sciences; and
• Bogdan Vasilescu, associate professor, Software and Societal Systems Department, Carnegie Mellon University.

On March 4, a panel titled Equity, Access and Collaboration will discuss disparities in access to AI tools and compute, the distribution of benefits and risks, and how generative AI reshapes collaboration and human-AI teamwork. The panel will be held 3-5 p.m. in Gates Hall G01. Register for the panel here. 

Dr. Gary Koretzky ’78, vice provost for research, professor emeritus of medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and professor emeritus of microbiology and immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, will give the opening remarks. Ranjit Singh, program director of AI on the Ground, Data & Society, will moderate.

Panelists will include:

• Savannah Thais, assistant professor of computer science, Hunter College, City University of New York;
• Toby Stuart, Leo Helzel Distinguished Professor of Business Administration, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley;
• Kati Kish Bar‑On, Alfred P. Sloan Meta‑Science and AI Postdoctoral Fellow, Boston University; and
• Eun‑Ah Kim, Hans A. Bethe Professor of Physics, College of Arts and Sciences, and director of the Artificial Intelligence Materials Institute.

The final panel, Innovation, Policy and Broad Impact, will discuss how AI-driven changes in scientific production interact with funding and resource allocation, science communication and public trust. The discussion will be be held March 5 from 9-11 a.m. in Computing and Information Science Building 142. Register for the panel here. 

Kavita Bala, provost and professor of computer science in Cornell Bowers will give the opening remarks. It will be moderated by Yian Yin, assistant professor of information science in Cornell Bowers.

 Panelists will include:

• danah boyd, the Geri Gay Professor of Communication, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences;
• Morgan Frank, assistant professor, School of Computing and Information, University of Pittsburgh;
• Sukwoong Choi, assistant professor, Information Systems and Business Analytics, University at Albany; and
• Peter Loewen, the Harold Tanner Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; professor of government.

The symposium is co-sponsored by the Cornell AI Initiative, Cornell Bowers, Research and Innovation, A&S and the Center for Data Science for Enterprise and Society.

Patricia Waldron is a writer for the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science.