In a new workshop report published by the Computing Community Consortium (CCC), Grand Challenges for the Convergence of Computational and Citizen Science Research, experts across disciplines examine the ways in which artificial intelligence (AI) and citizen science can mutually enrich each other, fostering increased opportunity for advancement in numerous scientific fields. The report presents a roadmap for maximizing the potential of citizen science through the contributions of AI — and vice versa — while also demonstrating the broader applications of this union for challenges across ecological, infrastructural, clinical, and other domains. “We are entering a brave new world where we are renegotiating the relationship between humans and machines,” says Lucy […]

The buzz around artificial intelligence (AI) is undeniable, with daily headlines touting its revolutionary potential. But for AI to truly transform science and society, we need to look beyond the impressive demos and massive models and ensure we achieve the desired impacts in a deliberate, responsible, secure way. Last week at the AAAS 2026 Annual Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, a panel organized by the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) titled “Shaping the Future of AI’s Impact on Society” captivated a crowded room of researchers and media representatives. Manish Parashar (University of Utah) moderated the panel, and the speakers were Rayid Ghani (Carnegie Mellon University), Carla P. Gomes (Cornell University), and Elham Tabassi […]

The current wave of AI innovation, powered by large language models and deep neural networks, has captured the world’s attention. But what comes next? Is the future simply about scaling up what we have now, or are there new, paradigm-shifting ideas waiting to be explored? The authors of CCC’s new whitepaper, Envisioning Possible Futures for AI Research, have tackled this exact question. They’ve identified and described six potential paradigms that could define the next generation of AI. These aren’t just incremental improvements; they are truly revolutionary paths that could reshape the entire field. Join Us for a Live Q&A with Lead Author, David Jensen   We’re hosting a special 30-minute virtual […]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming a part of our daily lives, from drafting emails to recommending your next binge-watch. But what happens when AI is used to make decisions that profoundly impact a person’s life and liberty? CCC’s new CACM opinion piece, “Concerning the Responsible Use of AI in the U.S. Criminal Justice System,” explores just that.   The piece, originally based on CCC’s response to the National Institute of Justice’s 2024 Request for Information, was authored by a collective of distinguished computer scientists and researchers, including many CCC council members and individuals involved with other CRA committees.    The opinion piece begins by emphasizing the potential positive impacts […]

The world is buzzing about artificial intelligence (AI), driven by the remarkable advancements in deep neural networks, large language models, and other types of foundation models. But what’s next? A new whitepaper, “Envisioning Possible Futures for AI Research,” from the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) dives into this crucial question, suggesting that the current wave of AI innovation, while powerful, is built on a paradigm that’s already 15 years old. “The current paradigm, while incredibly successful, is not the endpoint,” says David Jensen, one of the paper’s authors from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. “For AI to continue to progress over the long term, we need researchers to be actively exploring […]

See the Full Recording of Lisa Amini’s keynote at the CCC’s 2025 Computing Futures Symposium.  In May of 2025, the Computing Community Consortium’s Computing Futures Symposium hosted an insightful keynote speech by Lisa Amini, Director of Data & AI Platforms Research, and an IBM Distinguished Engineer. With a background spanning over 25 years at IBM in areas such as Data & AI, stream processing, and distributed systems, Amini offered a comprehensive look at the rapid advancements in agentic and generative AI, and their growing impact on the enterprise. Her address highlighted a critical shift in AI research and development, global innovation trends, and the transformative potential of AI within businesses. […]