Conference: Pipeline to AI Workforce Development

This award supports the convening of a nine-month workforce development program for anthropology students in conjunction with roundtables and mentoring sessions at the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) Annual meeting in Spring 2026. The proposed program operates across three strategic phases designed to maximize participant success and career placement for anthropologists in AI focused careers. The conference results in a number of broader impacts including the development of essential knowledge and the groundwork for a foundational understanding necessary for successful participation in advanced training and career development for scientists in AI careers. It provides training and professional networking opportunities through speaking events and hands-on workshops and focusses on workforce readiness and sustained mentorship to ensure successful career transitions into high-skilled AI roles. Responding to federal priorities for AI workforce development, this project provides a robust program within and after the annual meetings for the Society for Applied Anthropology (SfAA) to help build a pipeline to address critical workforce gaps in the United States’ AI innovation capacity through systematic skills development and mentorship networks. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.