KG Tan Endowed Professor of Artificial Intelligence Paulo Shakarian was selected as one of 10 speakers to address emerging trends at the 40th Annual Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) Conference in Singapore from Jan. 20-27, 2026. AAAI is the premier scientific society dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI), advancing the scientific understanding of the mechanisms underlying behavior and their embodiment in machines.
The emerging trends in AI track at the AAAI conference aims to expose the AI community to exciting, under recognized or fast-developing ideas from the various AI subdisciplines, as well as from adjacent disciplines and domains. Talks will summarize new developments and competitions that are likely to shape future AI research agendas.
Shakarian will be discussing metacognitive artificial intelligence and a recent paper titled “Towards Artificial Metacognition.” Metacognitive AI deals with the study of artificial intelligence systems that can self-monitor and/or regulate resources. The concept has its roots in cognitive psychology studies on human metacognition. It has led to the understanding of how people monitor, control and communicate their cognitive processes.
“It is an honor to have been selected to present an emerging trend talk at AAAI,” Shakarian says. “I am really grateful to the community of researchers that have coalesced around artificial metacognition over the past two years. An exciting community has formed consisting of not only computer scientists, but from diverse disciplines including cognitive psychology, systems engineering and aerospace, among others. Developing artificial systems that reason about themselves is, in my view, a key challenge that we must address in order to deliver AI systems that are more resilient and robust.”
Shakarian has written numerous papers on metacognitive AI and has also edited a book on the topic. He has received several grant awards on the topic from the Army and DARPA, and most recently he has received funding for several high-end Nvidia-based GPU systems that will soon arrive at Syracuse.
Shakarian has also sought to create a community around metacognition, holding several workshops on the topic since 2023.
“Paulo’s innovative work in metacognitive and neuro-symbolic AI represents the next wave of AI research,” Alex Jones, chair of electrical engineering and computer science, says. “His recognition by AAAI signifies both his leadership in the field and Syracuse University’s growing role at the forefront of artificial intelligence.”
