aiX Faculty Fellows Program Spring 2026 Recap
aiX Faculty Fellows Program Wraps a Strong First Year of Innovation and Faculty Engagement
The inaugural aiX Faculty Fellows Program concluded its Spring 2026 cohort with strong momentum, bringing together 20 faculty fellows and 15 student interns from 14 schools and departments across Columbia to design and build 17 AI-integrated education projects grounded in disciplinary expertise. By the end of the semester, 13 teams presented their work at a public showcase, 5 projects reached classroom-ready status, and 7 more were in active beta testing, reflecting both the scale and practical value of the program’s first iteration.
Designed as a faculty-led, project-based initiative, the program created space for faculty to explore how AI can support teaching and learning in ways that are thoughtful, practical, and rooted in the needs of their own fields. Projects spanned law, nursing, dentistry, language instruction, urban planning, engineering, psychology, business, epidemiology, and climate education, reflecting the breadth of interest in AI across Columbia and the creativity faculty are bringing to this work.
The program also built momentum that will continue beyond the spring semester. 12 of 15 surveyed fellows said they plan to continue their work into the summer or next academic year, and several projects have already led to additional visibility, school-level support, and new opportunities for further development. Faculty also reported greater confidence in evaluating AI tools, identifying meaningful pedagogical uses, and communicating about AI’s implications within their disciplines.
Just as importantly, the aiX Faculty Fellows Program fostered a vibrant cross-disciplinary community of faculty and student collaborators working together to think carefully about the future of teaching and learning. Rather than asking faculty simply to adopt new tools, the program supported them in shaping AI use on their own terms, grounded in disciplinary expertise, professional judgment, and a clear sense of what their students need.
The result was a semester marked by experimentation, collaboration, and pedagogical innovation across the University. The aiX Faculty Fellows Program has established a strong foundation for continued faculty-led exploration of AI at Columbia and offers a compelling model for how universities can support this work with both rigor and imagination.
Public Share Event Recording
You can view the recording of the Public Share Event where faculty presented their projects (CU login required).