USC Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence
News

AI Platform Earns VA Approval to Support Veterans

Oct 09, 2026Inspired by decades of virtual-human research at USC's Institute for Creative Technologies, Sidekick uses conversational AI to help veterans navigate healthcare, employment, housing, education and benefits using information curated by VA specialists.

Meet the 2026 Ming Hsieh Institute Scholars

Oct 08, 2026Five USC Viterbi and USC Stevens ECE PhD students join the MHI Scholars Program, bringing research interests spanning quantum computing, superconducting hardware and optical communications while working to build a more connected ECE community.

Terry Benzel to Lead the IEEE Computer Society Through Computing’s AI Inflection Point

Oct 07, 2026The USC cybersecurity leader and longtime volunteer has been elected president-elect with a plan to bring more voices into the 370,000-member society as artificial intelligence reshapes computing

If You Want to Know Whether a Smile Is Real, Look at the Eyes

Oct 05, 2026A USC study of nearly 2,000 hours of Holocaust survivor testimony finds that smiling often signals distress, not happiness, and offers a simple clue for telling the two apart.

State of the School 2026: Built for What Comes Next

Oct 05, 2026From a transformative investment in AI to major research wins and a new emphasis on experiential learning, USC Viterbi continues to derive strength from its people.

USC Robotics Leader Maja Matarić Named to Forbes 50 Over 50: Innovation List

Oct 01, 2026A pioneer of socially assistive robotics, Matarić has spent more than 2 decades developing robots that “help people help themselves”

Engineers Develop an AI Tool to Trace Where Wildfire Started

Sep 30, 2026USC Viterbi and Stevens researchers team up with Cal Fire to build the first AI tool that could pinpoint where a wildfire started and spread during its first 24 hours in upcoming project

The Lawyer’s Office May Be a Lifeline

Sep 29, 2026A study of hundreds of thousands of suicide records finds overlooked chances to recognize distress long before a person reaches a mental health clinic - or worse

Keeping Spacecraft Cool in the Harshest Heat

Sep 25, 2026USC engineers develop a material that can withstand temperatures exceeding 600°C while dumping heat into space and protecting interior structures

Three Decades of Building the Emotional Machine

Sep 24, 2026During his career at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies within USC Viterbi and USC Stevens, Professor Jonathan Gratch has helped define the science of affective computing and its role in shaping our increasingly complex relationships with intelligent machines.

The Science Gap Fueling Africa’s Water Wars

Sep 23, 2026In a new Nature Sustainability commentary, USC Viterbi researcher argues advanced water modeling can reduce uncertainty and help turn water disputes into opportunities for cooperation.

They Developed an AI Tool to Detect Online Job Ads Linked to Human Trafficking

Sep 22, 2026The USC Viterbi and Stevens researchers' automated system analyzes multilingual job postings to identify deceptive recruitment tactics, risky platforms and industries targeted by traffickers

A Tiny Gatekeeper Could Keep AI on Your Device

Sep 21, 2026USC Viterbi scientists built a device of five thin atomic layers that could make memory chips dramatically denser, cheaper, and powerful enough to run AI on your phone without sending a single byte to the cloud.

Carl Kesselman Wins 2026 HPDC Achievement Award

Sep 18, 2026USC pioneer honored for grid-computing breakthroughs that helped reshape large-scale science and anticipated the cloud

10 Weeks to Test-Drive a Career in Research

Sep 17, 2026Each year, the USC Institute for Creative Technologies at USC Viterbi and USC Stevens hosts a summer program where visiting undergraduates participate in mentored research, combining advanced computing with expertise in psychology, linguistics and immersive media.

Building a Better Transistor

Sep 15, 2026USC-led SWIFT project aims to reinvent the transistor using waves of magnetism, potentially slashing energy use and cooling costs, while helping GPS resist jamming

Does AI Have Low EQ? USC Study Identifies Where Models’ Emotional Reasoning Breaks Down

Sep 14, 2026USC Viterbi and USC Stevens engineers reveal how AI models misinterpret emotional cues from audio and video, and introduce a framework to help them reason with real evidence

Can AI Predict What Humans Do and Why? USC Study Sheds Light on AI’s Limits

Sep 09, 2026USC AI researcher and robotics pioneer find that LLMs can make human-like predictions by observing players in social games but struggle to learn from experience and apply what they learn to new situations

NSF Awards $20M to USC and Collaborators to Renew AI Institute

Sep 04, 2026With an expanded role in NSF AI4OPT’s second phase, USC will lead AI for Optimization research, bring together a larger interdisciplinary team and host the Seth Bonder summer camp

What Can You Do With 50,000 GPUs?

Sep 03, 2026Four USC Viterbi researchers selected for the Argonne National Laboratory extreme-scale computing program are learning how to run complex scientific simulations on the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

The Hidden Cost of Where You Live

Sep 02, 2026USC Viterbi and USC Stevens researchers trace a costly, invisible bias in AI systems back to a single factor: your address

USC Study Helped Shape Transparency Requirements for EU Social Media Moderation Law

Sep 01, 2026USC Viterbi and USC Stevens researchers identified a loophole in content moderation reporting regulation and proposed a statistical solution later reflected in updated European Union policy

Even Verified Cybersecurity Research Artifacts Can Be Hard to Reuse

Aug 31, 2026USC Viterbi and USC Stevens researchers at ISI found that many cybersecurity research artifacts carrying top-tier evaluation badges were difficult to find, install or run

AI Gives Medical Advice Every Day. Who’s Checking Whether It’s Safe?

Aug 26, 2026USC researchers are building ALICE to test whether chatbots give people medical information that is accurate, complete and safe to act on

What If We Asked a Different Question?

Aug 25, 2026Five ideas from USC Viterbi Dean (Interim) Gaurav Sukhatme's Marketplace Tech conversation that explore the role of universities in the age of AI.

Unlocking the Physics of Turbulence with AI

Aug 24, 2026A USC-led collaboration has received Department of Energy Genesis Mission funding to develop an AI framework for unprecedented high-fidelity turbulence simulation.

USC Computer Scientist Answers Five Common Questions About AI

Aug 21, 2026Through AI interpretability research, Robin Jia answers five questions about AI– from emotions and consciousness to learning, decision-making and speed

How to See Eye to Eye With AI

Aug 20, 2026An award-winning study from the USC Institute for Creative Technologies and the US Army Research Laboratory applies natural language dialogue to help humans and intelligent systems coordinate knowledge and achieve shared goals.

Giving AI Agents the Keys? USC Engineers Develop Tools to Audit and Monitor AI Agents

Aug 19, 2026USC computer scientists develop tools to screen agents before they act, block risky actions in real time and trace their decisions after the fact

Can AI “Understand” a Fundamental Concept of Chemistry?

Aug 18, 2026When USC Viterbi researchers developed a way to look inside a powerful AI model, they found evidence that it had independently learned one of chemistry's most fundamental concepts: the chemical bond.

USC Scientists Are Using Quantum Computing to Rethink Cancer Detection

Aug 11, 2026By combining quantum computing with artificial intelligence, USC researchers are laying the groundwork for medical imaging tools that could help doctors diagnose cancer and plan treatments more precisely

Can AI Read the Room? USC Study Finds AI Is Better at Reading Than Listening

Aug 10, 2026Researchers identified why audio AI models miss tone, emotion and other audio cues - and developed new solutions that dramatically improve their ability to interpret speech beyond words

Making Medical AI More Reliable

Aug 06, 2026A new NSF-funded project will create an open-source framework that traces AI errors to their source, helping researchers and clinicians build more trustworthy medical AI systems

From Robotron to $2.3 Billion: How William Wang Is Paying It Forward at USC Viterbi

Jul 30, 2026A transformational $10 million gift from the Vizio founder and his wife creates the William Wang Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub — and may establish a new model for engineering entrepreneurship nationwide.

USC Researchers Discover Fake News Spreaders Have Less Followers Than Users Pushing Back

Jul 29, 2026AI tools developed by USC Analyzing Misinformation during the COVID 19 Pandemic finds users countering misinformation are more established, more emotional, and have larger followings than accounts spreading false claims

Can AI Make Us Better Thinkers? USC Researcher Studies How Human and AI Think Together by Looking at Brain Signals

Jul 28, 2026Upcoming NSF-funded study will study how doctors, journalists and software engineers interact with AI to redesign interactions that strengthen creativity and critical thinking

From Stress-Relief Vibration Patterns to Haptic Emojis, USC Researchers Personalize the Sense of Touch With AI

Jul 27, 2026New study is first to develop algorithm that learns an individual's preferred vibration patterns, opening the door to personalized haptic experiences in gaming, mental health and automobiles

New AI Lets Robots Decide Which Collisions Are Safe

Jul 21, 2026USC Viterbi researchers developed a context-aware AI system that helps robots distinguish harmless contact from risky collisions in complex environments.

AI in 2026: Smarter Models, Harder Questions

Jul 20, 2026USC Viterbi researcher Yolanda Gil on the state of artificial intelligence through the 2026 AI Index.

USC Advances Humanoid Robotics, Robot Learning and 3D Manipulation at RSS 2026

Jul 15, 2026USC Researchers to Lead Workshops and Present Papers at RSS 2026: From Humanoid Foundation Models and Robotic Reward Learning to 3D Vision for Precision Manipulation

USC Study Used Sweat, Brain Signals, Eye Movements and AI to Detect Depression and Suicide Risk

Jul 13, 2026Researchers analyzed biomarkers that could help psychiatrists identify at-risk individuals earlier and more objectively, supplementing existing self-report surveys and clinical interviews

Can ChatGPT Be Your Therapist? USC Study Tests AI Responses to Mental Health Questions

Jul 07, 2026USC Research Finds AI Strong in Empathy with Promising Potential for Mental Health Support, but Models Still Struggle With Safety Concerns

Toward Quantum-Augmented Databases: New USC Study Aims to Break the Bottlenecks Slowing Modern Data Systems

Jul 06, 2026USC Viterbi researcher wins NSF Career Award and aims to study how quantum computing can transform database optimization for a data-intensive future

USC Research Advances Fairer Algorithms and Smarter Markets at EC 2026

Jul 06, 2026USC Researchers to Present 4 Papers at EC 2026: Advancing Algorithmic Fairness, Market Design and AI at the Intersection of Economics and Computing

AI Location Bias; AI Missing Vocal Clues: USC Viterbi and USC Stevens at ICML 2026

Jul 06, 2026Researchers will spotlight USC Viterbi's strengths in machine learning, AI and responsible AI research at the prestigious conference.

USC Computer Science Chair Nenad Medvidović Inducted as ACM Fellow

Jul 02, 2026Recognized for foundational contributions to software architecture and large-scale systems design, Medvidović reflects on research, mentorship and solving problems that matter.

AI To Prevent Suicide; AI To Better Diagnose Respiratory Diseases: USC Viterbi and USC Stevens at ACL 2026

Jul 02, 2026The prestigious conference brings together researchers and practitioners to share advances in natural language processing.

USC Breakthrough Could Help Scientists Spot Disease Clusters, Fraud Networks and More

Jun 30, 2026USC Viterbi researcher Emilio Ferrara has built a tool that can map communities inside massive social, biological, and financial networks faster and smarter than anything that came before.

“Push Through the Open Door”: Dean Yannis C. Yortsos’ Return to India

Jun 30, 2026On one of his final trips as dean of the Viterbi School of Engineering, Yortsos celebrated new scholarships, reconnected with alumni, and inspired the next generation of Trojans in India.

A Day to Remember: Viterbi School Honors Dean Yortsos with a Celebration Full of Surprises

Jun 29, 2026After 21 years as dean, Yortsos honored with six new philanthropic initiatives that bear his name.

USC Brings the World’s Control and AI Researchers to Campus – Together

Jun 29, 2026Two leading conferences, L4DC and NeuS, converged at USC to tackle the same hard problem from two directions: how do we trust machines that learn?

For America’s 250th, We Created Commemorative Stamps of Trojan Builders

Jun 29, 2026Need patriotic stamps? We've got you covered. Check out our collection of 14 USC computer scientists and engineers who helped build the modern computing world. Also, they're animated.

USC Studies Aim to Advance Self-Driving Cars, Transform Robot “Brains” and Understand Workplace AI Use

Jun 25, 20263 USC faculty will lead research projects funded by the Toyota Research Institute

What If We Could See Disinformation Coming? USC Scientists Say We Can

Jun 24, 2026USC Viterbi researchers can now predict when a false rumor will jump from one social media platform to another, giving journalists and fact-checkers a chance to step in before it goes mainstream.

USC Researcher to Lead $2.4M AI Core for Raynor Cerebellum Project Treating Cerebellar Disorders

Jun 11, 2026USC Viterbi's Maryam Shanechi aims to develop AI models to improve neuromodulation and enable adaptive treatment for cerebellar disorders

Unlocking the Inner Ear: Transforming How Scientists Study Hearing and Balance

Jun 10, 2026A collaboration between USC/ISI, Ostrow School of Dentistry, and the National Institutes of Health is creating the first national database for hearing and balance research.

From 5G to ‘seeing around the corner’: USC Engineer Shapes the Present and Future of Wireless Communication

Jun 09, 2026Andreas Molisch's research advances modern wireless systems by improving how signals are modeled, transmitted and understood - from smartphones to autonomous vehicles.

USC Scientists Built a Tiny System That Thinks Like a Brain and Runs on Thin Air

Jun 02, 2026Inspired by how the brain processes sight and touch simultaneously, a new device born in a Viterbi lab senses, encodes, and learns from the world around it using nothing but the energy that world provides.

USC @ ICRA 2026

Jun 01, 2026USC Engineers to Present 32 Papers in Robotics: From Safer Autonomous Navigation and Dexterous Manipulation to VLMs and AI-Driven Learning for Robots

Sheep, Spacecraft and a World That Knits Itself Back Together: USC Games Turns 10

May 26, 2026USC's top-ranked game design program marks a decade with sixty student games and no shortage of ambition.

USC Researchers Develop 3D-Printable MRI Coils for Low Cost Improved Dynamic Imaging

May 19, 2026New study introduces silver coils with flexible design and improved signal strength, enabling customized production for patient-specific scans

Class Of 2026 Trojan Engineers Tasked As Trustworthy Problem-Solvers As They Launch Next Chapter

May 17, 2026From 35 countries and equipped with the skills to advance their chosen field of engineering, the Viterbi Class of 2026 gathered to celebrate degrees earned across oceans, languages, and cultures.

Ingenuity and Perseverance: USC Viterbi Master’s Graduates Are Ready For The Toughest Challenges

May 17, 2026More than 3,500 engineering students gathered at the Galen Center on May 15 to celebrate the USC Viterbi School of Engineering's Class of 2026 master's commencement ceremonies, marked by keynote addresses.

At USC Viterbi, 170 newly minted Ph.Ds. stepped forward toward a bright future

May 16, 2026The Class of 2026 gathered at Bovard Auditorium to celebrate years of research, discovery and impact.

USC Graduates From Amazon, Google and IBM Shared Insights at the Department’s First Alumni Panel

May 15, 2026Alumni panel showcased power of USC Viterbi's Trojan network, helps students navigate software engineering careers

USC @ ICASSP 2026

May 13, 2026USC researchers brought 13 papers to ICASSP this year, highlighted by a plenary talk from Shrikanth Narayanan

From USC to Big Tech: Apple, Amazon, Nvidia Among Top Employers of USC Engineering Alumni, New Data Shows

May 13, 2026Across USC Viterbi and Mark and Mary Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence, alumni point to industry-aligned courses, hands-on learning, powerful Trojan network and reputable faculty lineup as key drivers of career success in a competitive job market

This Algorithmic Framework Is Discovering Novel Chip Designs Never Invented Before

May 06, 2026USC researchers invent a chip design method that could accelerate the design of the next generation of wireless devices, from 5G phones to autonomous vehicles, by unlocking designs that traditional chip engineering could never reach.

10 Times Faster, 10 Times Less Energy: Solving AI’s Memory Bottleneck With Algorithms and Coding Theory

May 04, 2026USC hosts 20th Viterbi Keynote Lecture featuring Andrew Viterbi and UC San Diego professor Paul Siegel

Thinking Fast and Slow: How to Turn a PhD into a Startup Incubator

May 04, 2026CLASS OF 2026 - Graduating PhD candidate Abel Salinas used his time at USC Information Sciences Institute to develop CommonGround: an AI platform that helps organizations forecast violence and civil unrest, enabling them to proactively protect people, operations and supply chains.

USC Institute on Ethics and Trust in Computing Launched Inaugural Summit

Apr 30, 2026Researchers and industry leaders across engineering, law, philosophy, business and more gathered to discuss key issues in ethical and trustworthy AI at IETC's first summit

USC at ICLR 2026

Apr 23, 2026USC researchers set record for oral presentations at ICLR 2026, with key breakthroughs in language model reliability, multimodal reasoning and robotics

When “Probably” Isn’t Enough: USC Researchers Find AI and Humans Speak Different Languages of Uncertainty

Apr 22, 2026A new study from USC Viterbi shows how small differences in words like "likely" can quietly reshape real-world decisions

Study Uses AI to Uncover a Hidden Link Between Legal Troubles and Suicide Risk

Apr 21, 2026A new study led by USC Viterbi professors uses third-party data and a mixture of human and AI-driven analysis to power insights on suicide prevention.

Older Americans and Veterans Wait Longer for Financial Justice

Apr 16, 2026A new study by USC Viterbi examining over 1.27 million federal complaints finds that older Americans and veterans are consistently receiving slower responses from financial companies, and the gap is getting worse right as the watchdog agency meant to protect them faces uncertainty.

USC Researchers Presented Ways to use AI for Social Good at ShowCAIS 2026

Apr 15, 2026USC Center for AI in Society Celebrated 10th Anniversary and Hosted Annual Symposium Featuring AI Research Across the University

The Fire Forecast: AI Model Accurately Predicts the Spread of Wildfires in Real Time

Apr 14, 2026By combining high-resolution satellite data, terrain data and realistic fire simulations, USC Viterbi researchers have developed a reconstruction and prediction tool for making informed decisions when tackling catastrophic wildfires.

Multi-fingered Robots Could Transform Shipboard Operations and Autonomous Maintenance

Apr 07, 2026USC Viterbi Researcher Received Office of Naval Research’s Young Investigator Program Award With Upcoming Study on Dexterous Robotics

In the Clinic Room, an AI Steps In to Fill the Gap Between Patients and HPV Vaccines

Apr 01, 2026A new “Chat-HPV” tool built by USC Viterbi professors with help from USC Keck medicinal professionals saves wait time, avoids harm.

USC Viterbi School of Engineering and its School of Advanced Computing Announce the Keynote Speakers for the 2026 Commencement Ceremonies

Apr 01, 2026CEO of Google Public Sector, Ret. President and CEO of the Aerospace Corporation, President & CEO and Chairman of Rubriq Corporation to keynote

USC Scientists Build a Memory Chip That Survives Temperatures Hotter Than Lava

Mar 30, 2026A discovery using graphene has produced a record-breaking high-temperature memory device, with implications for space exploration, deep-earth drilling, and the future of AI hardware.

Professor Yan Liu Receives Two Top Honors – In One Hour

Mar 27, 2026The multitalented USC Viterbi professor was recognized by both the AAAI and IEEE in late November.

The Long Game: Bill Swartout’s 50-Year Journey from Homework Machines to Lasting Conversations

Mar 27, 2026The ICT pioneer who built systems that made Holocaust survivors immortal and brought museum exhibits to life is stepping back—but not stepping away.

Understanding Humans, Changing Lives: 25 Years of USC SAIL Lab

Mar 25, 202625 years, 1,000+ papers, 20+ Patents and Beyond - Pioneering Human-centered Technologies and Building a Multigenerational Research Family

ISI Achieves Critical Cybersecurity Certification, Positioning Institute at Forefront of Defense Research

Mar 24, 2026Multi-year effort positions ISI among a small number of research institutes certified to handle sensitive government data, ensuring continued access to defense contracts and national security research

A USC Doctoral Student Solves a Longstanding Problem in Quantum Cryptography

Mar 19, 2026Miryam Huang is the first USC student to win the prestigious Machtey Award, recognized for solving a cryptographic problem first posed in 1976 and later asked as an open question in the quantum setting, with important implications for quantum cryptography.

USC Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence News

USC Stevens School of Computing and Artificial Intelligence
News