CSUMB takes the lead at AI research conference

By Mark Muckenfuss

When the country’s largest AI conference opens in Las Vegas next month, Cal State Monterey Bay’s Jill Hosmer-Jolley will be acting as co-chair of a mini-conference in conjunction with the main event. 

The first-ever California State University Applied AI Research Summit will be a one-day event at the Venetian resort on Aug. 3, preceding the main, three-day Ai4 2026 conference, the latter of which draws over 10,000 attendees. Instead of focusing on the latest developments in the AI industry, Hosmer-Jolley’s event will be oriented toward academic research in the field. 

Hosmer-Jolley, who teaches business, was one of three CSUMB faculty members to receive AI grants in July 2025 through the CSU Chancellor’s Office. She developed four general education courses on AI, one for each year of a four-year track. Students can take all four courses if they choose, as there will be little overlap in subject matter. The idea, she said, is to develop students who are literate in the use of AI.  

The idea of the research summit is to highlight the latest AI work being done in the academic arena. Funding for the event is being provided by Ai4 and its parent, Fora Group, which is also handling the logistics. Professor Emily Acosta Lewis, of Sonoma State, is the event’s other co-chair. Admission is free.

“This conference is an idea I initiated discussions on in August 2025 and, thankfully, is now a reality,” Hosmer-Jolley said. 

Nearly 300 people have registered for the event. Thirty-four people are scheduled to present, and there will be 40 poster presentations, Hosmer-Jolley said. She estimates that 80 percent of those attending are from industry.

“That coordination of giving industry access to academic researchers and then giving the academics access to 10,000 industry people who basically are potential sites for study, that’s a huge part of it,” Hosmer-Jolley said, noting that it is often difficult for academic researchers to access and study real-world environments. “We just don’t get invited into companies, but that’s what I’m hoping for.”

She believes that such connections can lead to collaboration in other areas as well.

“It used to be, companies would go to universities to get consultants,” Hosmer-Jolley said. “I’d like to get back to that.” 

She’s also hoping those attending will appreciate the broad offerings of the conference. The presentation of papers will be parsed out among eight themed panel sessions. Topics include effective implementation of AI into an academic setting, security concerns, using AI to support vulnerable populations (including mental health and dementia), teaching with AI, and the role of AI in democracy and public discourse. Those issues were among the 67 responses the conference received to its call for papers.

“I was very impressed,” Hosmer-Jolley said of the quality of the submissions. “The peer reviewers only rejected about four of the papers.”

Student success, she said, is also part of the event. There are several presentations of research by faculty/student teams as well as students working with mentors. 

“The future expansion of this avenue will open incredible internship and job opportunities for students who choose to participate and attend the conference,” Hosmer-Jolley said.