TUCSON, Ariz. — The Confluencenter for Creative Inquiry is proud to announce the second cohort of student AI fellows for CCI AI Horizons 2.0 – Fronteridades edition, an interdisciplinary initiative supporting creative, ethical, and community-centered explorations of artificial intelligence in the U.S.–Mexico borderlands.

The cohort includes two undergraduate and eight graduate students from across disciplines developing creative projects in formats such as multimedia storytelling, visual art, and digital works.

“This cohort brings innovative ideas and culturally grounded perspectives that point toward new futures for emerging technologies and creative inquiry in the borderlands,” said Javier Duran, Director of the Confluencenter. “Their projects engage in critical questions of binational exchange, border surveillance, and the future of border governance.”

This announcement aligns with the University of Arizona’s commitment to advancing responsible AI through ethical responsibility, interdisciplinary collaboration, and preparing the next generation of student leaders to engage AI thoughtfully and responsibly across fields and communities.

“The University of Arizona’s Office of Responsible AI is proud to support AI Horizons as a model for advancing artificial intelligence through interdisciplinary creativity, ethical stewardship, and community-engaged inquiry,” David Ebert, Chief AI Officer, said. “By centering diverse perspectives, cultural knowledge, and human values in AI exploration, this program helps ensure that emerging technologies are developed and used in ways that benefit society broadly and equitably.”

AI Horizons 2.0 builds on the success of the program’s inaugural year in 2025 while sharpening its focus on Fronteridades. Through a competitive selection process, the Confluencenter identified projects that use creative practice and humanistic inquiry to examine how AI shapes cultural expression and social life in the U.S.–Mexico borderlands.

“We are excited by the creativity, rigor, and imagination these students bring to their work, and by the conversations their projects will spark across campus and beyond,” said Dr. Duran.

By centering student-led, interdisciplinary work, AI Horizons 2.0 demonstrates the Confluencenter’s commitment to ensuring that conversations about artificial intelligence include human values, lived experience, and creative imagination. Fellows will complete their projects by the end of the spring semester and share their work through public presentations and Confluencenter platforms in fall 2026.