Overview
Now in its fourth year, the AI + Education Summit convenes researchers, educators, technology leaders, policymakers, and philanthropic partners at a moment of real uncertainty—and unprecedented possibility. AI is advancing faster than our learning systems, raising urgent questions about creativity, critical thinking, fairness, trust, opportunity, and what it truly means to learn.
This year’s gathering grapples with that inflection point: how AI, grounded in the learning sciences, can strengthen learning rather than weaken it, expand creativity and critical thinking rather than narrow them, and help us move education from universal access to universal learning for every learner.
To join us virtually via livestream, register at the link below.
The AI + Education Summit is co-hosted by the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI).
Contact
If you have any questions, please email us.
acceleratelearning@stanford.edu
Agenda for:
Wednesday February 11, 2026
from 8:00 am — 6:30 pm
Registration
8:00 am—9:00 am
Welcome
9:00 am—9:05 am
Remarks to ground the day in purpose: accelerating responsible, human-centered AI for every learner, and tensions in research about the possibilities and risks with AI.
- Isabelle Hau, Stanford Accelerator for Learning
- Patrick Hynes, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI)
The Inflection Point: A New Purpose for Learning
9:05 am—9:40 am
A powerful opening that frames AI not as an endpoint, but as a catalyst for rethinking why we learn. How can AI deepen human connection, creativity, and flourishing? How do we shift from universal access to universal learning? This session sets the tone for a day defined by imagination, science, and possibility.
- Denise Pope, Stanford Graduate School of Education
- Randi Michel, Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom
Scaling Human-Centered AI: What It Takes to Transform Learning for All
9:40 am—10:20 am
This session will explore what it truly means to bring AI to education at scale in ways that expand opportunity and strengthen the essential role of educators. Panelists will discuss emerging breakthroughs—from AI tutors and multimodal learning to learning-science-aligned feedback loops, datasets, and benchmarks—as well as the guardrails required to ensure AI systems advance safety, equity, and trust as they reach millions of learners.
- Susan Athey, Stanford Graduate School of Business
- Amanda Bickerstaff, AI for Education
- Ian Chiu, Owl Ventures
- James Landay, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI)
- Moderator: Lewis Leiboh, Gates Foundation
Creativity in the Age of AI: Catalyst or Hindrance?
10:20 am—11:00 am
As AI reshapes how we learn, solve problems, and express ideas, its influence on human creativity has never been more profound—or more paradoxical. This session explores where AI expands learners’ creative potential, offering new tools for imagining and making, and where it risks narrowing curiosity, originality, and deeper thinking.
- Chris Chafe, Stanford CCRMA
- Mehran Sahami, Stanford School of Engineering
- Hari Subramonyam, Stanford Graduate School of Education
- Guilherme Lichand, Stanford Graduate School of Education
- Moderator: Brian Johnsrud, Adobe
Break
11:00 am—11:15 am
How AI is Transforming How We Teach
11:15 am—12:00 pm
This session highlights grounded, real-world stories of how educators and learners are navigating AI—what’s opening up, what’s challenging, and what’s needed next.
- Loodwige Lince, STEM From Dance
- Daniela Di Giacomo, University of Kentucky
- Pravin Kaipa, Mountain View Whisman School District
- Michael Taubman, Uncommon Schools
- Moderator: Maisha Winn, Stanford Accelerator for Learning
Future of Assessment in the Age of AI
12:00 pm—12:05 pm
This session reports on a prior session held at Stanford on January 29 in collaboration with ETS, summarizes key takeaways and next steps.
- Candace Thille, Stanford Accelerator for Learning
- Jesse Sparks, ETS Research Institute
Lunch & Learning Conversations
12:05 pm—1:15 pm
Join us for a student poster session.
Fireside Chat: Blueprints for a Global Human-Centered Learning System
1:15 pm—2:00 pm
- Miriam Rivera, Ulu Ventures
- Wendy Kopp, Teach For All
- Moderator: Dan Schwartz, Stanford Graduate School of Education
AI Quests: When Learning Sciences Meet Product Design toward AI Literacy
2:00 pm—2:30 pm
This session explores how educators and learners are bridging the gap between rapid AI innovation and public understanding. Google Research and Stanford Accelerator for Learning expand AI literacy using immersive, real-world experiences and sound pedagogy. They turn complex research into age-appropriate lessons, emphasizing decision-making and ethics in AI.
- Alon Harris, Google
- Victor Lee, Stanford Graduate School of Education
- Moderator: Ronit Levavi Morad, Google
Breakout Sessions
2:30 pm—4:00 pm
Breakout 1 — Building Trust: Safety, Privacy, Ethics and Responsible AI for Learners
The conversation will explore some of the most urgent issues of our time: what child safety means in an AI age; how to design systems grounded in transparency, explainability, and accountability; and what policies, safeguards, and ethical frameworks must be in place for responsible adoption at scale.
- Nathaniel Persily, Stanford Law School
- Meira Levinson, Stanford Graduate School of Education
- Alexander “Sasha” Sidorkin, California State University Sacramento
- Erin Mote, InnovateEDU
- Moderator: Geoff Cox, Stanford Graduate School of Education
Breakout 2 — Learning Differences as a Frontier for Innovation: Designing AI With and For All Learners
Too often, neurodiverse learners and students with disabilities are an afterthought in AI design. This session reframes learning differences as a driver of innovation, exploring how AI—when co-designed with learners and educators—can unlock strengths, provide meaningful scaffolds, and support inclusive learning at scale. The conversation will highlight Universal Design for Learning in an AI ecosystem, alongside the importance of safety, bias mitigation, and relational supports.
- Dennis Wall, Stanford School of Medicine
- Lindsay Jones, CAST
- Glenna Wright-Gallo, Everyway
- Dan Abrams, Stanford School of Medicine
- Julia Beth Dimitriou, Fremont Unified School District
- Moderator: Lakshmi Balasubramanian, Stanford Graduate School of Education
Breakout 3 — The Social Learning Revolution: How AI Is Transforming How We Connect, Collaborate, and Grow
Learning is fundamentally social, and AI is beginning to reshape how we connect, collaborate, and grow together. This session explores how AI can support richer interactions, strengthen relationships, and expand learning and wellbeing when designed with human connection at the center, while also examining the risks of isolation, over-automation, and weakened social bonds if we get it wrong.
- Pilyoung Kim, Center for Brain, AI, and Child (BAIC)
- Scott Weiss, Goodnotes
- Caroline Figueroa, Stanford Medical Center
- Bethanie Maples, Atypical AI
- Moderator: Glenn Kleiman, Stanford Accelerator for Learning
Break
4:00 pm—4:30 pm
Create+AI Challenge Ceremony
4:30 pm—4:45 pm
- Isabelle Hau, Stanford Accelerator for Learning
- Sarahi Espinoza Salamanca, Stanford Accelerator for Learning
- Torie Bates, Google
Closing Session: From Possibility to Progress
4:45 pm—5:30 pm
- Rebecca Winthrop, Brookings Institute
- Neerav Kingsland, Anthropic
- Susanna Loeb, Stanford Accelerator for Learning
- Ben Gomes, Google
- Moderator: John Hennessy, Stanford University
Reception
5:30 pm—6:30 pm
Light bites and networking to spark new collaborations.
Speakers
Chris Chafe
Music Department Chair, Stanford Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics
Julia Beth Dimitriou
Education Specialist, Fremont Unified School District
Caroline Figueroa
Harkness Fellow & Visiting Assistant Professor, Stanford School of Medicine
Patrick Hynes
Senior Manager of Research Communities, Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence
Pravin Kaipa
Education Specialist/Teacher Tech Mentor, Mountain View Whisman School District
James Landay
Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan Professor, Stanford School of Engineering
Sarahí Espinoza Salamanca
Education Entrepreneurship Hub Project Manager, Stanford Accelerator for Learning
Candace Thille
Adult & Workforce Learning Initiative Faculty Director, Stanford Accelerator for Learning
Maisha T. Winn
Equity in Learning Initiative Faculty Director, Stanford Accelerator for Learning
