CMU and Partners Lead Creativity, Empathy and AI National Summit

Carnegie Mellon University, in collaboration with Virginia Tech, Penn State University, Rhode Island School of Design and the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru) will host Creativity, Empathy and AI: A National Summit on the Human-AI Creative Partnership(opens in new window) on April 11-12 in Washington, D.C. Bringing together arts educators, arts practitioners, researchers, technologists, policymakers, funders and industry experts from across the United States, attendees will address the promise of AI as it relates to creative fields through conversations with representatives from the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities and other leaders.

Daragh Byrne,(opens in new window) an associate teaching professor in CMU’s School of Architecture, said the summit brings together universities, industry partners and policymakers to align on institutional priorities, challenges, and needs, how arts and AI is valued in industry and the funding landscape.

“The idea is to build a national network around this discussion with no one institution leading, Byrne said. “We want to really move from conversations about immediate responses to longer term field making and agenda setting.” 

The first day of the summit will act as a conversation between people who work directly in AI and those who are actively engaged in art. It will include sessions on visual arts and design, performing arts and music, and creative writing. Annie Hui-Hsin Hsieh(opens in new window), an assistant teaching professor in CMU’s School of Music(opens in new window) will be one of the opening speakers. Other delegates from CMU include Golan Levin(opens in new window), a professor of art in the School of Art(opens in new window), Jenn Joy Wilson(opens in new window), the associate dean for research for the College of Fine Arts(opens in new window), and Vernelle A. A. Noel(opens in new window), an assistant professor in the School of Architecture(opens in new window). 

“It’s a moment for everyone to connect across their institutions, have important conversations, raise visibility, understand the landscape, the efforts, the individual challenges and opportunities that they see,” Byrne said. 

Day two of the summit focuses on policy and will be held at the National Academy of Sciences.