AI in the Wild: What Actually Works
What AI tools are actually changing the way science, engineering, and business get done—and which are hype?
Join Caltech alumni from Google, Apple, Microsoft, Veracyte, and NASA for a candid discussion on where AI is making a real difference in science and industry and where it falls short.
You will hear:
– How AI is transforming research workflows, from problem selection to analysis
– Which tools accelerate discovery and which accumulate technical debt
– The time, accuracy, and hidden costs of implementation
– What to expect in 2026 and what to ignore
– Practical tools worth trying in your own work
This session is for researchers exploring AI for their labs, engineers weighing tools and tradeoffs, and professionals seeking clear, honest assessments from peers in the field. Registration opens January 6.
Thursday, February 12, 2026
6:00 p.m. PT
Zoom webinar with live Q&A
For inquiries, contact Kat Hantman at info@alumni.caltech.edu
or 626-395-6592.
Moderator:
Dan Liebling (BS ’02) AI Engineering Manager, Google Research
Panelists:
Kristin Gleitsman (PhD ’10) VP of Discovery Research, Veracyte; author, AI ∩ Bio
Eugene Vinitsky (BS ’14) Assistant Professor, NYU Engineering; former research scientist at Apple and Meta
Vikram Dendi (MS ’02) Former Chief Product Officer, Microsoft; led enterprise AI rollouts reaching millions of users
Cecilia Aragon (BS ’82) Professor, College of Engineering, University of Washington; CTO at Viata.ai; former NASA researcher