Pascal Van Hentenryck, A. Russell Chandler III Chair and Professor at Georgia Tech, delivered the annual Corotis Lecture at Johns Hopkins University, focusing on the societal impacts of fusing artificial intelligence (AI) with optimization and control in complex engineering fields. Titled "AI Engineering for Societal Impact," Van Hentenryck’s lecture underscored the transformative potential of AI-driven optimization and control systems in addressing major societal challenges. 

Van Hentenryck explored key theoretical concepts, such as primal and dual optimization proxies, "predict-then-optimize" strategies, self-supervised learning, and deep multi-stage policies. These approaches exemplify how AI can significantly advance systems and processes that require precision and adaptability. He illustrated these methodologies through real-world applications in sustainable supply chains, decentralized energy systems, and transportation infrastructure—all areas that stand to benefit profoundly from enhanced efficiency and accessibility. 

As director of the NSF-funded AI4OPT (Artificial Intelligence Institute for Advances in Optimization) and Georgia Tech’s Tech AI hub, Van Hentenryck is a prominent leader in AI research for engineering and science applications. His work spans diverse sectors, including energy, supply chains, manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare, with a focus on using AI to optimize and innovate. 

To watch Pascal Van Hentenryck’s full lecture, visit this link.