Forging the Future: CMU, Pitt Co-Host Summit on Health, AI and Technology – News

Carnegie Mellon University’s leadership in artificial intelligence, robotics and health care took center stage during a global innovation summit held this week at the University of Pittsburgh.

Organized in partnership with the Council on Competitiveness and the Global Federation of Competitiveness Councils (GFCC), Forging the Future: The Intersection of Health, AI and Tech(opens in new window) convened thought leaders from academia, industry and government to explore how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are reshaping the future of health care. 

The event spotlighted Pittsburgh as a hub for innovation fueled by the city’s world-class research institutions.

Day one of the forum began with a joint welcome from CMU President Farnam Jahanian and Pitt Chancellor Joan Gabel. 

“The renaissance of Pittsburgh over the last two decades was powered by the extraordinary alignment of public and private sectors with our academic institutions and civic organizations,” he said. “Today, we are a city of eds, meds and emerging tech. We are part of an ecosystem that is fueling economic development through place-based innovation, whose impact is amplified by research and talent from our academic institutions.”

In the first panel of the day, titled “The Health, AI and Productivity Imperative: From University Research to Community Impact,” Jahanian discussed how university-led research can drive productivity and improve health outcomes. After noting that CMU launched the first undergraduate degree in AI in 2018, and that AI is being integrated into the curriculum across the university, Jahanian underscored the university’s commitment to ethical AI and community-centered innovation.

“We’re finally at the cusp of understanding learning science and bringing AI to bear such that I think within the next 10 years we will see a fundamental shift in how we teach, how we learn, and most importantly, improve learning outcomes for students of all ages from K-12,” Jahanian said.

Later in the morning, CMU’s Vice President for Research Theresa Mayer joined international leaders from the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland to explore how cities like Pittsburgh are shaping a sustainable and prosperous future through tech-driven collaboration.

“[Pittsburgh has] a deep tradition in manufacturing, and very importantly, once again, we have incredible natural resources in this region: the energy and the water, which are going to be critical if we’re thinking about growing the base of manufacturing in the U.S.,” she said.

Mayer mentioned that Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., hosted a major energy and AI summit at CMU in July, which brought together over 40 CEOs, five cabinet secretaries and the President of the United States to consider the role Pennsylvania and Southwestern Pennsylvania can play to meet the urgency of the moment, announcing over $90 billion in investment.

“The future is bright, building on [Pittsburgh’s] past. Now, we really need to move forward to execute on that future,” she said.

During the lunch panel, Marsha Lovett, vice provost for teaching and learning innovation, represented CMU in a discussion on preparing the next generation of innovators. She highlighted CMU’s pioneering work in AI-enhanced learning environments and the importance of interdisciplinary education.

“For education to integrate AI into its efforts, it needs to be more nimble and agile and data-informed in keeping up with change. Integrating AI into education means keeping track of how the curricula are effectively or not effectively preparing students with what they need, and adjusting that in a continuous monitoring cycle. In addition, I think we need to think about education as a lifelong endeavor. And so infrastructure to support lifelong learning is another aspect of integrating AI into education,” Lovett said.