CRA-I Blog

The CRA-I Blog frequently shares news, timely information about the computing research industry community, and items of interest to the general community. Subscribe to blog emails here to stay connected.

Join the Conversation: Shaping the Future of Cybersecurity and Storage Technologies

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At the Computing Research Association – Industry (CRA-I), we are embarking on a new initiative to delve into two critical areas for the computing industry. This project aims to generate key insights and recommendations that address specific challenges in both enterprise cybersecurity and storage technologies.

In the realm of enterprise cybersecurity, we’ll be investigating the barriers that prevent research from translating effectively into practical, real-world solutions. We aim to identify why these gaps exist and how we can bridge them, ensuring that innovations in cybersecurity research lead to impactful outcomes in practice.

The second area of focus is the future of storage technologies. As data demands increase exponentially, understanding current needs and exploring future vendor roadmaps will be essential. This research will seek to identify the key trends, concerns, and opportunities that will shape the future of storage technologies.

The project’s end goal is to produce two comprehensive reports that outline the main challenges, key insights, and recommendations for these areas. Additionally, based on our findings and discussions with the industry community, we’ll explore follow-up actions such as convening in-person or hybrid meetings and establishing a consortium to foster ongoing collaboration.

We invite you to contribute to this effort! If you know of experts who should be interviewed or if you are interested in being interviewed yourself, please reach out to hwright@cra.org. Your insights could shape the direction of future research and industry efforts in these crucial areas.

Report Released from the CRA-I Workshop on Healthcare Data Sharing

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Workshop panel speakers

Barriers to Sharing Healthcare Data Panel with Ronald Emeni (CRISP DC), Margarita Gonzalez (GTRI), and Peter Margolis (Cincinnati Children’s).

The Computing Research Association – Industry (CRA-I) recently hosted a Sharing Healthcare Data Workshop on October 17-18, 2024, in Washington, D.C., bringing together 35 experts from industry, academia, and government to tackle pressing challenges and opportunities in healthcare data sharing. Please see the just released workshop report here.

The event featured keynotes from Deborah Estrin (Cornell Tech) and Tom Kalil (Renaissance Philanthropy), panel discussions, and breakout sessions focused on the intersection of AI, healthcare regulations, and ethical considerations in data sharing. A major theme that emerged was the growing role of AI in healthcare and how misalignments between stakeholders—including researchers, healthcare providers, and policymakers—continue to create barriers to effective data sharing.

Key Topics Discussed

  • Barriers to Sharing Healthcare Data – Challenges such as trust, data ownership, standardization, and regulatory constraints that impact effective collaboration.
  • Connecting Health Models with AI – The potential of AI to enhance healthcare outcomes, but also the need for ethical and human-centered design in AI-driven systems.
  • Navigating the Regulatory Landscape – Understanding the evolving AI compliance landscape and the role of government agencies in shaping healthcare data policies.
  • Ethical Considerations – Addressing privacy, patient control, and the implications of emerging AI technologies in healthcare decision-making.

Next Steps & Key Takeaways

Workshop participants emphasized the urgent need for continued collaboration between healthcare providers, computing researchers, and policymakers to build trust, improve data access and standardization, and create responsible AI governance frameworks. The report outlines recommendations for fostering cross-sector partnerships, ensuring equitable access to data, and advancing innovative approaches to healthcare AI.

Please see the full report here.

CRA Quadrennial Paper: Preparing the Workforce for an AI-Driven Future

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Computing Research Association – Industry (CRA-I) and Computing Research Association -– Education (CRA-E), two programmatic committees of the Computing Research Association (CRA), recently collaborated on a Quadrennial Paper examining the evolving demands of the AI-driven workforce. Every four years, CRA releases a series of Quadrennial Papers, offering insights on key issues within computing research that have the potential to address national priorities. 

The paper, Empowering the Future Workforce: Prioritizing Education for the AI-Accelerated Job Market, authored by Lisa Amini (IBM Research), Henry F. Korth (Lehigh University), Nita Patel (Otis), Evan Peck (University of Colorado Boulder), and Ben Zorn (Microsoft), underscores the essential role of education, policy, and industry collaboration in equipping workers for an AI-driven future.

The Changing Landscape of Work

AI is integrating into workplaces at an unprecedented pace, with 70 percent of surveyed CEOs believing it will significantly alter their business models within three years. While this transformation presents new opportunities, it also poses challenges — displacing traditional jobs and demanding entirely new skill sets. PwC’s 2024 AI Jobs Barometer has already identified significant shifts in the skills required across AI-exposed jobs, demonstrating the need for proactive workforce education.

Key Barriers to AI Workforce Readiness

The paper identifies several obstacles that could hinder workforce preparedness, including:

  • Limited AI Education Beyond Computing – AI education remains largely confined to computing disciplines, despite its growing impact across all fields.
  • High Technological and Cost Barriers – Access to cutting-edge AI models and computing infrastructure is expensive and unevenly distributed.
  • Rapid Skill Evolution – AI’s fast-changing landscape makes it difficult for educational institutions and industry to keep curricula up to date.
  • Security and Ethical Concerns – As AI increasingly influences decision-making, issues related to data privacy, misinformation, and bias must be addressed.

Recommendations for Workforce Resilience

To ensure a competitive and adaptable workforce, the paper outlines several key recommendations:

  • Expand AI education beyond computing – Encourage interdisciplinary AI education that integrates AI concepts into various fields.
  • Invest in accessible AI training – Support AI education in community colleges, workforce development programs, and non-traditional learning pathways.
  • Foster Human-AI collaboration – Shift focus from job replacement to AI-human teaming, enabling AI to enhance rather than replace human skills.
  • Partner with industry for upskilling – Companies should invest in lifelong learning programs, offering employees continuous AI skill development.
  • Strengthen responsible AI education – Broaden awareness of ethical AI use across education, industry, and policy sectors.

The Path Forward

AI is already transforming the job market, and preparing the workforce for this shift requires coordinated action from government, industry, and academia. By prioritizing AI literacy, upskilling, and responsible AI education, we can ensure that workers are equipped to navigate and thrive in the evolving technological landscape. Please see the full paper here, as well as the full series of 2024-2025 CRA Quadrennial Papers at cra.org/cra-quadrennial-papers.