Torsten Joachim He has been appointed Lieutenant Governor for Artificial Intelligence Strategy, a newly created position designed to strengthen the Cornell AI Initiative.
This new position further expands Cornell University’s university-wide commitment to advancing leadership in AI research and education, creating, applying, and evaluating AI as a university-wide tool, from classrooms and laboratories to clinics and university processes. His appointment took effect on January 1st.
In his new role, Joachims will coordinate expertise, communications and resources for Cornell’s artificial intelligence strategy. The initiative brings together all Cornell universities, Cornell Tech, and Weill Cornell Medical College to develop and apply AI in research, education, and operations.
Joachims has directed the Cornell AI Initiative since 2021 and is the Jacob Gould Schulman Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Department of Information Science in Cornell University’s Ann S. Bowers College of Computer and Information Sciences. He served as Interim Dean of Cornell Bowers from January to October 2025.
This new position significantly expands the role of the AI Initiative and reflects the importance of AI not only in research and education, but also as a tool to transform the way universities operate. said President Kavita Bala.
“As AI transforms all academic disciplines and society more broadly, strategic alignment of AI activities is essential,” said Bala. who Thorsten led the launch of the Cornell AI Initiative in 2021 as the Cornell Bowers Dean. “Thorsten’s deep knowledge and experience will enable him to support innovation and experimentation across Cornell University and advance our mission to improve lives through research, learning, social engagement and clinical care.”
The goal is to develop a strategic approach to AI that leverages Cornell’s unique breadth of expertise, Joachims said.
“We have computational scientists who develop AI algorithms, social scientists who understand the impact of AI on organizations and society, and subject matter experts from materials scientists to veterinarians,” he said. “We have humanists working on ethics and creativity, and we have policymakers and lawyers developing the framework for society. We can develop and lead a responsible vision for AI in a way that few other institutions can.”
Joachims will work with the dean, the provost’s office, and the new organization. AI strategy meeting it includes Natalie BazarovaMA’05, Ph.D. Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation in 2009. Stephen J. JacksonVice President for Academic Innovation. ben maddoxChief Information Officer. Vinay VargheseChief Information Officer, Weill Cornell. and Faye WangAssociate Dean for AI and Data Science at Weill Cornell University.
Joachims will encourage and enable faculty, staff, and students to experiment and evaluate AI to discover improvements in research, teaching, and work. The key to this initiative is AI Innovation Labled by Ayham Boucher Started by Maddox. Staff and faculty with ideas for AI solutions to workplace, research, and education problems become customers in the lab, where students and staff build AI prototypes to solve those problems. Over time, the prototype will be able to create value and streamline operations for the university.
“But more AI is not necessarily the answer,” Joachims said. “In some cases, innovation means new strategies to ensure that AI does not diminish student learning, the quality of research, or the integrity of Cornell as an institution. In some cases, less is more.”
In terms of research, a series of future “Thought Summit” Identify new AI research areas, such as AI benchmarks for veterinary medicine, and envision new community-centered AI design methodologies.
AI is also increasingly being used as a tool to conduct research and academic research, and this initiative fosters a dialogue to set community norms for the responsible use of AI in research. “Can AI enable new breakthroughs in research and improve practice? But also, what happens when we use AI as part of the peer review process? What does this mean for the rigor and quality of the scientific process?” Joachims said. To address these questions and more, Cornell University will host a symposium March 3-6. Assessing and imagining the impact of generative AI on scienceHere’s how AI is transforming the scientific enterprise.
Cornell University continues to build infrastructure to support research in AI. Currently it includes: Empire AIa New York state-backed consortium that provides top-level AI research computing power. In the current cycle, 45 faculty members are receiving funding for AI-related projects.
On the education side, the university aims to meet the strong and growing demand from students for more courses related to AI in their studies. recently added Undergraduate Minor in Artificial Intelligence This will enable students at all universities to add AI expertise to their core curriculum. Additional miners focused on AI in society are currently in development. This allows students to learn how AI impacts people, organizations, and institutions, and encourages thoughtful analysis and reflection on the social impacts (positive and negative) of AI.
Cornell University also plans to continue experimenting with AI as a classroom tool to enhance teaching and learning, led by Jackson. Educational Innovation Center (CTI) has already Using generative AI in the classroomsupports teachers who want to “lean in” to the experimental use of AI in teaching and learning, and those who want to “lean out” in search of more effective strategies to remove AI from the classroom, where these tools undermine student learning. These strategies include, for example, oral assessment, task redesign, and “technologically light” teaching approaches.
And starting this spring, CTI and Cornell University Libraries will pilot a new generative AI critical literacy program to strengthen students’ understanding of and responsible use of AI tools in academics.
“Especially in a learning environment, it’s important to remain experimental, balanced, and evidence-based,” Jackson says. “AI tools bring both important benefits and potential harm to student learning, and we are seeing both. Our ability to deftly navigate these dynamics in the coming years will be essential to Cornell’s thoughtful leadership in this area.”
