"Rebuilding" Statistics in the Age of AI: A Town Hall Discussion on Culture, Infrastructure, and Training

TL;DR

This paper documents a 2024 town hall where statisticians discussed how AI advances are transforming statistical culture, infrastructure, and training, emphasizing community reflection and ongoing dialogue.

Contribution

It provides an unedited archival record of expert discussions on adapting statistical practices to AI-driven data science, highlighting cultural and infrastructural challenges and opportunities.

Findings

Discussions on evolving statistical culture and practices

Insights into data curation and 'data work' in AI era

Recommendations for training and collaboration with AI stakeholders

Abstract

This article presents the full, original record of the 2024 Joint Statistical Meetings (JSM) town hall, "Statistics in the Age of AI," which convened leading statisticians to discuss how the field is evolving in response to advances in artificial intelligence, foundation models, large-scale empirical modeling, and data-intensive infrastructures. The town hall was structured around open panel discussion and extensive audience Q&A, with the aim of eliciting candid, experience-driven perspectives rather than formal presentations or prepared statements. This document preserves the extended exchanges among panelists and audience members, with minimal editorial intervention, and organizes the conversation around five recurring questions concerning disciplinary culture and practices, data curation and "data work," engagement with modern empirical modeling, training for large-scale AI applications, and partnerships with key AI stakeholders. By providing an archival record of this discussion, the preprint aims to support transparency, community reflection, and ongoing dialogue about the evolving role of statistics in the data- and AI-centric future.