Researchers from institutions across the country gathered at Stony Brook University for an invite-only Embodied AI Workshop, a day-long event focused on how artificial intelligence is expanding beyond digital systems and into the physical world. The workshop took place on February 27 and was organized by I.V. Ramakrishnan, C.R. Ramakrishnan, and Nilanjan Chakraborty.
The event brought together experts from universities and research labs such as MIT, Columbia University, Duke University, and Brookhaven National Laboratory to discuss how AI systems can perceive, reason, and act in real-world environments. Topics ranged from robotics and physical design to communication and creativity.
“Embodied AI represents an exciting frontier for the field,” said Samir Das, professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science. “Bringing together researchers from different institutions and disciplines helps us explore how intelligent systems will interact with the physical world and with people in increasingly meaningful ways.”
Lav Varshney, professor of computer science and director of Stony Brook’s AI Innovation Institute (AI3), described how AI-driven methods could help design more sustainable building materials such as new concrete formulations that reduce carbon emissions while improving strength. Varshney also discussed creative applications like AI-assisted choreography that allow intelligent systems to generate movements interacting directly with human environments.
Owen Rambow, professor of linguistics and computer science at Stony Brook, addressed challenges faced by current large language models in achieving “pragmatic competence,” or tracking shared context during conversations—a skill humans use naturally but remains difficult for AI systems to replicate.
“Our goal was to create a space where researchers could exchange ideas across areas such as robotics, machine learning and human–AI interaction,” said Ramakrishnan. “Embodied AI raises fundamental questions about how intelligence operates in the real world.”
By bringing together multiple disciplines, the Embodied AI Workshop provided insight into a rapidly evolving area of research as artificial intelligence continues to move beyond screens into physical spaces.
