Members of AI-ALOE joined colleagues from across the U.S. National Science Foundation’s AI Institutes community for the 2026 Summit for AI Institutes Leadership (SAIL), held Nov. 2–4 in San Diego, California.
Hosted by the NSF AI Institutes Virtual Organization (AIVO), the three-day gathering created opportunities for researchers and institute members to exchange ideas, share their work, and build connections across the national AI research community.
AI-ALOE’s participation began with a full day of project-focused breakout sessions, the AI4ED Special Interest Group, and a graduate student and postdoctoral researcher poster session. The day concluded with a group dinner that extended conversations beyond the formal sessions and included AI-ALOE’s NSF program officer.
AI-ALOE member Barbara Means (left) and project manager Carolyn Fonseca (right) sit for an education-focused panel.
Blain Helmick (left), Rahul Dass (middle) and Andrew Browne (right) discuss implementation of AI in education with other AI4Ed institutes.
AI-ALOE members gather for a group dinner.
On Nov. 3, the institute turned the spotlight to its graduate student researchers and their contributions to AI-powered learning. Jinho Kim, a member of the SMART technology research team, presented research exploring how to integrate generative AI into SMART through instructional design.
Jennifer Reddig, a member of the Teachable AI Lab (TAIL) research team, shared research comparing interface scaffolding methods in intelligent tutoring systems. Together, the presentations highlighted the breadth of work underway across AI-ALOE and the important role graduate researchers play in advancing the institute’s research.
AI-ALOE closed out SAIL during the AI in Education Institutes Showcase, where members shared the institute’s research and demonstrated how AI-powered technologies are helping advance adult learning and online education. The showcase also provided an opportunity to connect with fellow AI institutes working to shape the future of AI and education.
Blain Helmick, Emma Greene and Moriah Ugi pose behind the AI-ALOE booth.
Graduate student Jinho Kim poses with her poster.
Graduate student Jennifer Reddig poses with her poster.
Across three days, SAIL offered AI-ALOE an opportunity to do more than present research. It brought researchers together to exchange ideas, strengthen relationships, and learn from others across the NSF AI Institutes community.
AI-ALOE is grateful to have been part of SAIL 2026 and looks forward to continuing these conversations and connections in the year ahead.
