Penn Partners in New National Science Foundation AI Institute for Human-AI Cooperation
From the teenage soccer player recovering from knee surgery to the grandparent relearning how to walk after a stroke, physical therapy plays a vital role in restoring mobility and helping people live independently—especially later in life.
But what if artificial intelligence could work side by side with clinicians and physical therapists, adapting to each patient, guiding treatment decisions and accelerating recovery? That is the idea behind the new U.S. National Science Foundation AI Institute for Human-AI Cooperation (NSF HAIC) launched today with a $21.5 million, five-year award.
The University of Pennsylvania will partner with the University of Delaware (UD) who will lead the effort, and join other collaborators that include Delaware State University, Princeton University, and the University of Florida. Headquartered at UD’s Data Science Institute, HAIC will focus on pioneering AI’s role in improving healthcare.
In total, the HAIC Institute will bring together more than 40 partners across academia, industry, government, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations, serving as a national hub for human-centered AI—designed to support, not replace, human decision making in healthcare.
“Our goal is to transform artificial intelligence into an adaptive teammate, allowing human users and AI systems to interact in dynamic collaboration,” says HAIC Director Cathy Wu, the Unidel Edward G. Jefferson Chair in Engineering and Computer Science at UD. “By developing AI that enables personalized models tailored to individual needs and decision-making, our institute will chart a new path for healthcare and cultivate the next generation of leaders in AI.”
Penn and UD secure $21.5M NSF award to develop adaptive AI for physical therapy via multimodal data and digital twins, prioritizing human-AI collaboration. Signals market shift toward ethics-first, explainable AI in healthcare—critical for managers building clinical decision-support systems and governance frameworks.
679 words~3 min read
From the teenage soccer player recovering from knee surgery to the grandparent relearning how to walk after a stroke, physical therapy plays a vital role in restoring mobility and helping people live independently—especially later in life.
But what if artificial intelligence could work side by side with clinicians and physical therapists, adapting to each patient, guiding treatment decisions and accelerating recovery? That is the idea behind the new U.S. National Science Foundation AI Institute for Human-AI Cooperation (NSF HAIC) launched today with a $21.5 million, five-year award.
The University of Pennsylvania will partner with the University of Delaware (UD) who will lead the effort, and join other collaborators that include Delaware State University, Princeton University, and the University of Florida. Headquartered at UD’s Data Science Institute, HAIC will focus on pioneering AI’s role in improving healthcare.
In total, the HAIC Institute will bring together more than 40 partners across academia, industry, government, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations, serving as a national hub for human-centered AI—designed to support, not replace, human decision making in healthcare.
“Our goal is to transform artificial intelligence into an adaptive teammate, allowing human users and AI systems to interact in dynamic collaboration,” says HAIC Director Cathy Wu, the Unidel Edward G. Jefferson Chair in Engineering and Computer Science at UD. “By developing AI that enables personalized models tailored to individual needs and decision-making, our institute will chart a new path for healthcare and cultivate the next generation of leaders in AI.”
