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This Annual Report reflects the research, activities, and impact of Stanford HAI between September 2021 to August 2022

Annual Report 2022

Stanford Institute
for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence

HAI built considerable momentum across its research, policy, and education programs during the 2021-22 academic year.

Letter from the Denning Co-Directors

Silicon Valley startups are notorious for the demands they place on early employees—and the more successful they are, the more demanding they can be. For the past three years, Stanford HAI has been an academic startup. We have accomplished a lot since our launch, and we are deeply grateful to our hardworking staff, faculty leaders, and generous donors for getting us where we are today.

In three years, HAI has established itself not only as a leading presence at Stanford, but as one of the leading centers for AI in the world. We’ve earned a reputation as a catalyst for innovative cross-disciplinary research and have developed a dynamic ecosystem for the study and advocacy of a distinctively human-centered approach to AI.

As we reflect on the past academic year, we’re excited to see the Stanford campus active again with faculty, staff and students back in person. We’ve settled into a new home on the ground floor of the Gates Computer Science Building, where we can host groups of people from across the campus and beyond.

Our foundational programs in research, education and policy are all thriving in the wake of an extremely productive year. Among the highlights from the 2021-2022 academic year:

  • In Research: We’ve strengthened our Stanford scholar community through more than 20 in-person and hybrid format workshops, meetings and collaborations, while also collaborating with external organizations including the IEEE on its Planet Positive 2030 campaign.
  • In Education: More than 7,000 individuals took part in our educational programs, and we helped to organize the largest AI+Health conference in Stanford’s history.
  • In Policy: We engaged with more than 30 U.S. federal agencies, congressional offices, foreign government representatives and delegations this past academic year, which deepened HAI’s relationships with policymakers and accelerated their understanding about the impact of AI.
Fei-Fei Li and John Etchemendy
Fei-Fei Li and John Etchemendy, Denning Co-Directors of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI

We sincerely appreciate the support and engagement of our advisors, affiliates, scholars and students–at Stanford as well as other universities and organizations worldwide–in helping us achieve these goals.

In the broader world of AI, 2021-2022 has been an extraordinary year, one that has convinced even the most diehard skeptics of the importance of AI technology. Gone are any worries about a coming “AI winter” or the sudden deflation of a hype-fueled bubble. It is impossible to ignore such developments as DeepMind’s near complete solution of the protein-folding problem, or the steady release of new foundation models for generating text, images and even computer code.

These developments are being addressed, from very different perspectives, by our Center for Research on Foundation Models and our Digital Economy Lab, the former focusing on expanding research, resources and community around emerging AI technology, while the latter assesses its impact on the economy and the future of work.

The breathtaking pace of AI technology only magnifies the importance of an institute devoted to a thoroughly human-centered perspective on this rapidly evolving technology. It is undeniable that AI holds extraordinary promise for improving the human condition, but only if we can successfully guide its future in a responsible direction.

Thank you for being with us on this most important journey.

Fei-Fei Li signature
John Etchmenendy signature

HAI Events

HAI brings its extended community together by hosting a variety of events throughout the year, including workshops, conferences, and seminars. The institute held 81 events during AY 2021-22, reaching a total 19,475 attendees between in-person and virtual platforms.

September
Hoffman-Yee Symposium

Hoffman-Yee Symposium

Inaugural recipients of Hoffman-Yee Research Grants presented results from their research to date and plans for the future.

November
HAI Fall Conference on Policy & AI
HAI Fall Conference on Policy & AI

Four Radical Proposals for a Better Society

Proposals were presented to a panel of experts from multiple disciplines and backgrounds, who vetted, debated, and judged the merits of each one.

Data-Centric AI Virtual Workshop

Data-Centric AI Virtual Workshop

This workshop explored challenges and opportunities across the data-for-AI pipeline.

December
AI+HEALTH

AI+HEALTH

This recorded online conference convened experts and leaders from academia, government, and clinical practice to explore critical and emerging issues related to AI’s impact across the spectrum of health, healthcare, and related arenas.

January
Strengthening the Technical Foundations of U.S. Security

Strengthening the Technical Foundations of U.S. Security

HAI Managing Director for Policy and Society Russell Wald, CSET Senior Fellow Andrew Lohn, and Stanford HAI Postdoctoral Fellow Jeff Ding discussed how a National AI Research Resource (NAIRR) will impact U.S. national security.

February
Creating a National AI Research Resource

Creating a National AI Research Resource

HAI Managing Director for Policy and Society Russell Wald, Center for Data Innovation Policy Analyst Hodan Omaar, and Founder & President of SeedAI Austin Carson held a discussion on how to design, implement and maintain a National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR).

April
HAI Spring Conference
HAI Spring Conference

Key Advances in Artificial Intelligence

The HAI Spring Conference explored three key advances in artificial intelligence—accountable AI, foundation models, and embodied AI in virtual and real worlds—as well as what the future of this technology might hold.

Artificial Intelligence and the Economy: Charting a Path for Responsible and Inclusive AI

Artificial Intelligence and the Economy: Charting a Path for Responsible and Inclusive AI

This symposium brought together leaders from government, industry, civil society, and academia to explore potential opportunities and challenges posed by artificial intelligence and machine learning deployment across different economic sectors.

Avoiding the Turing Trap: Workshop on AI & the Future of Work
S-DEL Spring Workshop

Avoiding the Turing Trap: Workshop on AI & the Future of Work

This workshop brought together DEL’s community of faculty, students, fellows, industry leaders, and supporters to share research and discuss groundbreaking ideas related to the future of work and the digital economy.

July
Advancing Technology for a Sustainable Planet

Advancing Technology for a Sustainable Planet

Hosted together with IEEE and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, this event explored regulatory, policy, and financial frameworks critical to advancing technology which prioritizes people, planet, and purpose-driven progress.

August
Stanford HAI Congressional Boot Camp on Artificial Intelligence

Stanford HAI Congressional Boot Camp on Artificial Intelligence

This multi-day, bi-partisan educational event for a diverse cohort of 26 congressional staffers unpacked what AI means for international security, the future of work, and healthcare, and included field trips to Stanford labs for interactive experiences.