Cornell Bowers College of Computing and Information Science
A color photo of a woman smiling for a photo

Story

Yang named Schmidt Futures AI2050 Fellow

November 8, 2022

Qian Yang, assistant professor of information science in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, has been named a Schmidt Futures inaugural AI2050 Early Career Fellow.

One of 15 fellows, Yang will work to understand and improve the impact of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered generative models like Generative Pre-trained Transformer (GPT-3) and Dall-E on people’s cognitive processes in creative work. The goal is to enhance human cognition with these models, rather than de-skill users.

Schmidt Futures’ AI2050 initiative aims to support AI researchers whose work will inform and shape the AI-powered tools of tomorrow. Specifically, Schmidt Futures cites Yang’s research as critical in exploring the impact of advanced AI on knowledge workers by addressing two of the Initiative’s “Hard Problems”: economic challenges and opportunities resulting from AI and its related technologies, and access, participation, and agency in the development, growth, and benefits of AI. 

Joining Yang in the AI2050 fellowships is another recipient with Cornell ties: Adji Bousso Dieng, currently an assistant professor of computer science at Princeton University, is a 2013 graduate of the Department of Statistics and Data Science’s Master of Professional Studies program in Applied Statistics.