AIBridge 2026 Recap: Building Practical AI Skills Across Disciplines

Artificial intelligence is changing how researchers work, but getting started with AI can feel overwhelming, especially without a computer science background. That’s where AIBridge comes in.

Offered by the AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS), AIBridge is a free, five-day course designed to help researchers build practical AI skills. From Python and machine learning to large language models, the program makes complex technologies more approachable through hands-on learning.

This August, AIBridge brought together researchers from UC Davis and New Mexico State University, with 97 registrants joining in person and remotely. Beyond the numbers, participant feedback tells a story of curiosity, learning, and a growing interest in bringing AI into everyday research.

Who attended AIBridge 2026?

The course brought together graduate students, faculty, staff, and professionals with varying levels of technical experience. More than half reported low prior experience.

Over the five-day program, participants particularly valued the hands-on labs, the LLM content, practical demonstrations, and applications to research. Their feedback also pointed to greater understanding of AI concepts, terminology, Python, LLMs, and research workflows.

Over 90% of the participated researchers said they would recommend the course. Dr. Paul Luciw, Professor Emeritus at UC Davis, highlighted the value of connecting AI instruction with real-world applications:

Overall, I benefitted from the course by learning about the concepts, terminology, and some of the mechanics needed for developing and implementing AI as a system/tool for enhancing/acquiring scientific knowledge and its application in research, particularly for data collection and analysis. For me, the lab session on the last day was most useful because it focused on preparing and writing a research paper for publication

His experience reflects the program’s broader goal: helping researchers move beyond understanding AI concepts to identifying meaningful ways to use these technologies in their own work.

Keeping Pace with Emerging AI Technologies

The 2026 offering featured a significantly updated curriculum developed by Dr. Xin Liu, who has taught AIBridge five times, with help of two teaching assistants, Fanyu Meng and Ibna Kowsar.

The redesigned program incorporated recent advances in agentic AI, introducing participants to tools capable of supporting complex, multistep workflows. By combining foundational AI instruction with emerging technologies, AIBridge helps participants develop skills relevant to today’s applications while preparing them for future innovations.

What’s Next: Expanding AI Education Through Collaboration

A key development this year was the introduction of a train-the-trainer component for NMSU participants attending in person. These participants received instructional materials to support future AIBridge offerings at NMSU, creating opportunities to expand AI education and strengthen expertise across partner institutions.

Building on participant feedback, AIFS is also exploring ways to tailor future courses to different experience levels, ensuring that AI training remains practical and relevant to a broad audience.

Through hands-on education, evolving curriculum, and cross-institutional collaboration, AIBridge is helping more people gain the knowledge and skills to put AI to work.