A recent New York Times article by Steve Lohr, “How Do You Teach Computer Science in the A.I. Era?”, powerfully highlights the profound impact of generative AI on computer science education. As an organization dedicated to catalyzing and enabling the computing research community, CCC recognizes the urgency and criticality of this transformation. The article outlines the current landscape, noting that universities nationwide are grappling with how to adapt their curricula. The traditional emphasis on mastering programming languages is indeed being challenged by AI assistants that can generate increasingly sophisticated code. Jeannette Wing, Columbia University professor and former Computing Research Association (CRA) board member, aptly captures the current sentiment in the […]

Conversations around the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the job market have intensified in recent months. With high-profile announcements of layoffs and the increasing visibility of large language models (LLMs) that can generate and explain code, it’s natural that students, parents, and recent graduates are questioning the long-term value of a computer science (CS) degree.  One recent contribution to this conversation comes from Boise State University Associate Professor Casey Kennington and Clinical Instructor Andre Keys, whose recent article draws directly from The Future of Programming in the Age of Large Language Models, a joint whitepaper from the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) and CRA-Industry (CRA-I). Their piece positions the CS […]

  The final panel of the CCC Computing Futures Symposium, “Computing’s Human Context,” called for a paradigm shift in how we understand and develop computing technologies, urging a move towards a more interdisciplinary and human-centric approach. Moderated by Bill Regli (University of Maryland), the discussion featured insights from Sunny Consolvo (Google), Henry Farrell (Johns Hopkins University), Adam Russell (University of Southern California), and Suresh Venkatasubramanian (Brown University).   Regli kicked off the discussion by suggesting that computer science may be on the verge of a Kuhnian paradigm shift. He argued that our current models are failing to address the complexity of modern challenges in areas like artificial general intelligence (AGI), […]

CCC’s recent Computing Futures Symposium brought together leading minds in computer science for a dynamic panel discussion, expertly moderated by Mark Hill (University of Wisconsin – Madison). This expert panel, featuring Margaret Martonosi (Princeton University), Brent Hecht (Microsoft Research), Charles Leiserson (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), and Rajmohan Rajaraman (Northeastern University), delved into critical issues facing the field, from the future of quantum computing to the societal impact of artificial intelligence (AI) and the enduring quest for performance optimization. Key Perspectives and Insights  Martonosi kicked off the discussion with a passionate plea for computer science expertise in the burgeoning field of quantum computing. Acknowledging that quantum is still in its “Wild […]

  A recent CCC Computing Futures Symposium panel, featuring luminaries in the field — Robin Murphy (Texas A&M University), Melanie Moses (University of New Mexico), Chad Jenkins (University of Michigan), and Holly Yanco (University of Massachusetts – Lowell) — offered a captivating glimpse into the evolving landscape of robotics and autonomy. Moderated by Weisong Shi (University of Delaware), the discussion highlighted pivotal advancements in sensing, computation, and intelligence, exploring their profound implications for society, research, and education. Charting the Present and Future of Robotics  The panelists began by painting a vivid picture of the current state and future potential of robotics. Murphy, a pioneer in rescue robots, challenged conventional notions […]

Artificial intelligence stands at a “great juncture,” a moment brimming with excitement and profound responsibility. This was the central theme of a recent insightful panel discussion where leading minds in AI — Yolanda Gil (University of Southern California), David Jensen (University of Massachusetts Amherst), Aarti Singh (AI Institute for Societal Decision Making), and Bart Selman (Cornell University) —explored its current trajectory and charted its future horizons. The panel was moderated by Bob Bond (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). The conversation moved beyond the hype, offering a grounded yet ambitious vision for where AI is headed and what it will take to get there responsibly.   Shifting the Focus of AI Development  […]