Friday, March 27, 20269:30 am - 2:30 pm
The AI Companion Workshop brings together scholars, clinicians, technologists, ethicists, and community partners for a focused, case-based exploration of artificial intelligence systems designed to provide emotional support and health coaching. As AI companions are increasingly used in mental health, chronic disease management, and everyday well-being, they raise critical questions about safety, trust, equity, accountability, and ethical design.
Funded by the Columbia Data Science Institute’s Frontiers in Data Science and AI initiative and sponsored by the AI for Social Good and Society (AI4SGS) Initiative, this multidisciplinary workshop will center on a shared case study. Through structured dialogue and interactive audience roundtables, participants will examine real-world tensions surrounding AI companions and consider what responsible, community-engaged AI should look like in practice. The workshop is designed to foster cross-disciplinary learning and seed future collaborations in the responsible development of AI for health and social good.
Registration Request Form
Registration Request Form: Registration will be prioritized for Columbia faculty, postdoctoral researchers, affiliated scholars, and invited external guests. If you are a student, you may be waitlisted to attend until closer to the event date. All who submit a registration request will receive a confirmation email and a calendar invitation if your registration is approved. Thank you again for your interest in attending!
Note: This event was originally scheduled for Friday, February 27 and has moved to Friday, March 27 due to inclement weather.
Location: Columbia School of Social Work (Room C05)Address: 1255 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027 – MapTiming: Breakfast from 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM; Workshop from 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM; Networking Lunch from 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
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9:30 AM: Doors Open for Networking Breakfast (60 min)
10:30 AM – 10:45 AM: Welcome & Framing Remarks – Setting the context for AI Companions, responsibility, and social impact (15 min)
10:45 AM – 11:30 AM: Panel: AI Companions & the Future of Care (45 min)
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM: Case Study & Structured Panel Discussion – Design, governance, accountability, and human-AI boundaries, led by the workshop organizers (60 min)
12:30 PM – 1:00 PM: Roundtable Discussions – Small-group conversations focused on opportunities, risks, and open questions, led by the workshop organizers (30 min)
1:00 PM – 1:30 PM: Synthesis & Visioning – Group report-outs, panelist reflections, and forward-looking insights (30 min)
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Lunch & Networking (60 min)
The workshop is intended for Columbia faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and affiliated scholars interested in:
The session is designed to foster cross-disciplinary learning and to seed new research and practice partnerships around the future of AI companions.
Event Co-Host: Juanita HotchkissDirector of Community and Incarcerated Programs, Ulster County Sheriff’s Office
Juanita Hotchkiss is a Licensed Master Social Worker and serves as Director of Community & Incarcerated Services with the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office. She leads cross-sector initiatives that integrate public health, social services, and the justice system, with a focus on substance use, mental health, and reentry support. Juanita plays a central role in convening community coalitions and people with lived experience to design harm-reduction and overdose-prevention strategies. Her work emphasizes equity, community voice, and trust-building across systems to improve outcomes for individuals and families impacted by justice involvement.
Event Co-Host: Steve KilburnProjects Director, Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene
Steve Kilburn is a public health leader serving as Project Director with the Chautauqua County Department of Mental Hygiene. He has led county-wide initiatives addressing substance use disorders, behavioral health, and overdose prevention, including federal and state-funded programs focused on rural communities. Steve works closely with local health departments, service providers, and community coalitions to strengthen prevention, treatment, recovery, and harm-reduction infrastructure. His work emphasizes collaborative, data-informed approaches to improving access to care and building sustainable behavioral health systems in rural and underserved regions.
Courtney D. CogburnAssociate Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work, Columbia University
Courtney D. Cogburn is an Associate Professor at Columbia University School of Social Work and a faculty affiliate of the Columbia Population Research Center and the Data Science Institute. Her research examines racism as a social determinant of health and explores how emerging technologies can be used to study, measure, and reduce structural inequities. Dr. Cogburn co-directs the Justice, Equity, and Technology (JE+T) Lab and is the creator of The 1000 Cut Journey, an award-winning virtual reality experience addressing everyday racism. Her work bridges social work, public health, and computational social science.
Zhou YuAssociate Professor of Computer Science, Columbia Engineering
Zhou Yu is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University whose research focuses on interactive intelligent systems, natural language processing, and human-computer interaction. She designs AI systems that integrate speech, language, and multimodal sensing to support natural and effective human-machine communication. Dr. Yu’s work spans health, education, and robotics applications, with an emphasis on real-time interaction and user-centered design. She led the team that won the Amazon Alexa Prize and is recognized for advancing practical, human-focused AI systems.
Ryan S. SultanAssistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute
Ryan S. Sultan is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. A double board-certified psychiatrist, he specializes in mood disorders, ADHD, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Dr. Sultan directs research at the intersection of clinical psychiatry, large-scale health data, and digital mental health tools. His work integrates clinical practice with informatics and epidemiology to better understand mental health outcomes and improve access to evidence-based care across diverse populations.
Lena MamykinaAssociate Professor of Biomedical Informatics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Nabila El-BasselUniversity Professor; Willma and Albert Musher Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work, Columbia University
James DavidHEALing Communities Study (HCS) Senior Project Director, Columbia University School of Social Work’s (CSSW) Social Intervention Group (SIG)
Xuhai Orson XuAssistant Professor, Biomedical Informatics, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
The workshop is designed as a multidisciplinary, community-engaged dialogue rather than a traditional conference. Participants from medicine, social work, public health, law, computer science, and philosophy will engage alongside community partners with lived experience to examine how AI companion systems are being built, deployed, and experienced in the real world.
At the center of the workshop is a shared case study that presents realistic scenarios involving AI companions used for emotional support and health coaching. Panelists will analyze the case together, drawing on their disciplinary and professional perspectives. The goal is not consensus, but a rigorous, structured exploration of tensions, including questions of clinical responsibility, user safety, algorithmic bias, emotional dependency, regulatory gaps, and ethical design.
A defining feature of this workshop is its community-centered co-design. Two community panelists, who have been involved in shaping the agenda and discussion questions, will participate as equal contributors alongside academic and professional experts. Their perspectives ensure that the conversation remains grounded in how AI companions are actually used, experienced, and trusted, or mistrusted, by people in everyday life. This structure reflects the AI4SGS Initiative’s commitment to justice-oriented, participatory approaches to technology development and evaluation.