Fei-Fei Li, the computer scientist who helped launch the modern deep learning revolution through ImageNet, is stepping into a broader leadership role at Stanford University. Rather than leading a single institute, Li now serves as Special Advisor on AI to the university president, shaping AI strategy across all seven Stanford schools. This shift comes as Stanford merges its Institute for Human-Centered AI (HAI) and Data Science initiative into a unified organization, signaling a strategic pivot toward coordinated AI development with human welfare at its core.

Why Is Stanford Reorganizing Its AI Efforts Now?

Stanford University is consolidating two flagship organizations, the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI and the Stanford Data Science initiative, into a single institute under the Stanford HAI name. The merger combines HAI's network of over 400 scholars, extensive industry partnerships, and $60 million in cumulative grant funding with Stanford Data Science's high-performance Marlowe computing cluster and early scholar fellowship program. University President Jonathan Levin describes the new Stanford HAI as "the front door for AI at Stanford," reflecting the institution's belief that coordinated AI research and education are essential as the technology transforms every academic discipline.

Jonathan Levin

Computer scientist James Landay, who has spent three decades working in human-centered computing, will lead the merged institute as Denning Director. Landay's career demonstrates the long arc of human-centered design: his 1990s software SILK foreshadowed tools like Figma and Canva, while his early 2000s UbiFit project anticipated wearable fitness trackers like Fitbit and Apple Watch. In 2024, he received the ACM SIGCHI Lifetime Research Award for this body of work.

"This technology is changing everything. To have real impact in this moment, we need to adapt. This is about shaping how AI affects people, communities, and society, with that human-centered perspective at the core of everything we do," said James Landay, Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan Professor in the School of Engineering.

James Landay, Anand Rajaraman and Venky Harinarayan Professor in the School of Engineering

What Role Will Fei-Fei Li Play in This New Structure?

Li's transition reflects a deliberate expansion of her influence beyond a single institute. She will serve as co-chair of Stanford HAI's advisory council alongside former Stanford President John Hennessy, while also taking on a university-wide appointment as Special Advisor on AI to President Jonathan Levin. This dual role spans research, partnerships, education, and student careers across all seven Stanford schools. Li retains her title as Stanford HAI's founding director and senior fellow, ensuring continuity with the institute's original vision while enabling her to influence AI strategy at the institutional level.

This structural change acknowledges Li's outsized influence on the field. ImageNet, the labeled image database Li helped create, is widely credited with catalyzing modern deep learning and remains foundational to how AI systems learn to recognize visual patterns. Her transition to a broader advisory role suggests Stanford is positioning her to shape how the university approaches AI development across disciplines, from engineering to medicine to the humanities.

How Will Stanford's Merged Institute Operate?

The new Stanford HAI will organize its work around three core pillars designed to influence AI development at multiple levels:

• Advancing AI and Data Science for Discovery: Researchers across the university are already using machine learning to spot new exoplanets, model early-universe physics, predict brain activity, surface patterns in historical archives, and develop adaptive tutoring systems that support individual learners and teachers in classrooms.
• Transforming Education from K-12 Through Lifelong Learning: The institute will develop educational programs that prepare students and professionals to work with AI responsibly, spanning early education through executive and policy training.
• Examining and Shaping AI's Societal Impact: Through evidence-based research, the institute will study how AI affects communities, economies, and governance, including work through the Congressional Boot Camp on AI for policymakers and centers studying foundation models, the digital economy, and ambient intelligence for aging in place.

A defining commitment of the merged institute will be openness: open science, open-source code, open datasets, and open education. Landay emphasized this distinction between Stanford's approach and the practices of frontier AI companies. "What makes Stanford's approach impactful is our commitment to operating as an open community," he stated. "We publish in open forums, we champion open research, we make knowledge accessible. That's what differentiates universities from the frontier AI companies dominating artificial intelligence today".

Landay

"Data science and AI share the same mathematical foundations and computational infrastructure, each pushing the boundaries of what's possible with data. Bringing them together under one roof will accelerate research and unlock opportunities that neither of the two organizations could have accessed alone," explained David Studdert, vice provost and dean of research.

David Studdert, Vice Provost and Dean of Research

What Does This Reorganization Mean for AI Research Broadly?

Stanford's decision to merge its AI and data science efforts and elevate Li to a university-wide advisory role signals a broader institutional commitment to human-centered AI development. The merger brings together over 400 scholars, $60 million in cumulative grant funding, and access to high-performance computing infrastructure under a single framework. This consolidation allows the university to coordinate research across disciplines and ensure that AI development considers human welfare from inception through deployment.

The timing reflects growing recognition that AI's impact extends far beyond computer science. Astronomers, neuroscientists, historians, and education researchers are all leveraging AI tools to advance their fields. By organizing these efforts under a human-centered framework, Stanford aims to ensure that as AI becomes embedded in every discipline, the technology is developed with explicit attention to its effects on people and society.

"AI is transforming not only technology, but also the way we pursue scientific discovery, learn and educate, and serve society. It is a historical opportunity and responsibility of Stanford to rise to the occasion," said Fei-Fei Li.

Fei-Fei Li, Founding Director and Senior Fellow, Stanford HAI

Former Stanford President John Hennessy, who co-founded the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program, will also serve as a Stanford HAI special advisor in addition to his role on the advisory council. "This is the most important effort for Stanford, and I am happy to help it succeed," Hennessy stated. "AI will evolve in ways we can't predict, but the principles guiding our work, openness, excellence, human-centeredness, will be enduring".